


All I Ask

by transfiguredtoad



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Neal, F/M, Pregnant Emma, evil Zelena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 57,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21772834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transfiguredtoad/pseuds/transfiguredtoad
Summary: Emma visits Killian the night before Pan's curse takes over. Based on the Adele song of the same name. Captain Swan. Canon Divergence
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Comments: 20
Kudos: 135





	1. Chapter 1

All I Ask

_I will leave my heart at the door_

_I won't say a word_

_They've all been said before, you know_

_So why don't we just play pretend_

_Like we're not scared of what is coming next_

_Or scared of having nothing left_

_Look, don't get me wrong_

_I know there is no tomorrow_

_All I ask is_

She stared up at the ship in front of her, wondering how she had even gotten here. It was subconscious, of that she was sure. She'd been in bed and left the house for some fresh air, completely out of her mind with fear and fear of her fear. Her stomach was flipping constantly. She could barely talk to her parents, had no idea what she could possibly say to make this okay. Tomorrow, when the curse finally reached them, she would never see her family, her parents, again.

She'd never see Hook again.

And, as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, that hurt. It made her stomach clench and her throat close up.

She wasn't in love with Hook.

No, she'd not had the opportunity to see if she could be.

So, here she was, staring up at his ship.

She had that feeling in her heart like she got when she was about to do something huge, something huge and life changing and terrifying. Her feet began to move. They took her to the ramp where she could come aboard, that she hadn't used since they'd returned from Neverland. She tried to be silent, not because she wanted to scare him or sneak up on him, but because she wanted the option to turn around, but her shoes seemed louder than ever in the night.

When she reached the deck, she saw him staring at her.

Her eyes met his, blue as always but slightly wider than usual. It was clear he wasn't expecting to see her. She wasn't expecting to be there. He was not his usual cool, collected self. Emma swallowed harshly, wishing that she wasn't about to cry.

"Swan," he said levelly. Emma wished she felt level. She bit her lip.

Emma wasn't sure who moved first or whether they both moved at the same time but, within seconds, she was in his arms and she drank in the smell of him, the feel of him. He was the same as always.

Tomorrow, she'd remember none of this. She pulled away from him after what could have been hours, but was probably only minutes or seconds. "Killian," she muttered. Was it the first time she'd said his real name? It felt like it. She opened her mouth and then closed it, shaking her head. She couldn't speak. There was nothing she could say. "Can we just pretend?" she murmured. "Just for tonight, that tomorrow isn't happening. Just for tonight," she said, her throat catching. "I know that tomorrow I won't remember this. I know that you will and maybe this is just cruelty on my part but can we just pretend?"

_If this is my last night with you_

_Hold me like I'm more than just a friend_

_Give me a memory I can use_

_Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do_

_It matters how this ends_

_Cause what if I never love again?_

"This is my last night, my last night of fairy tales and magic and having parents and friends," she murmured, scared that he wasn't saying anything, "and I want to pretend that I'm more than just a friend. Please, Killian, I don't know what I want, I don't know what I could possibly want right now except to stop it all but I want this too and," Emma said, a tear slipping down her cheek. Her throat was making horrible noises and Emma hated herself for being so weak and not making sense and not being someone else. Why was she like this?

Killian looked down at her and Emma up at him. She knew that he understood. It mattered how this ended.

She wanted to give him a memory, needed to give him something. He was going to leave and she was going to leave and he'd remember. She wanted him to remember her by tonight, not by the way they'd been once, or even who she'd been at Neverland. She wanted him to remember her not as Neal's but as his. She wanted him to be hers, just for tonight.

More than that, she needed something to cling to. Maybe it would make her remember. Or maybe it wouldn't. She just wanted him, needed him to make her feel as though everything was alright, just for a few hours.

He brushed the tears away from her face, his thumbs rough and calloused. Emma remembered kissing him, in a forest in Neverland, remembered his hands against her back, on her neck. Emma knew that she must look awful with red blotchy cheeks and red watering eyes, but he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful person on the planet. She hoped she was looking at him the same way, hoped he could see the hope and the feelings in her eyes. He took both of her hands and brought them to his lips. "Swan," he muttered. Emma smiled at him.

_I don't need your honesty_

_It's already in your eyes_

_And I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me_

_No one knows me like you do_

_And since you're the only one that matters_

_Tell me who do I run to?_

She didn't need to know that he was in love with her. She could see it shining through his eyes. She knew that, right then, she was the only thing in the world. At that moment, he was the only thing in hers.

Hook leaned in and kissed her chastely, so different from their first kiss, in Neverland. He pulled back and cupped her cheeks, leaning in again and kissing her slowly, passionately. And Emma could feel his love for her. Tears slipped down her cheeks. This was exactly what she needed, what she wanted. He knew her better than she knew herself. They were so similar. Maybe with time, they could have been. Now, they'd never know.

He pulled back again and she saw insecurity in his eyes. She knew why. She'd not exactly been clear the past few weeks and her parents pushing Neal at her hadn't helped. "You're the only one that matters," she whispered, cupping his cheek and rubbing a thumb along his bottom lip. He kissed it. "I ran to you, Killian," she assured him. Emma pulled him close and initiated a kiss, slow, loving, perfect.

_Look, don't get me wrong_

_I know there is no tomorrow_

_All I ask is_

_If this is my last night with you_

_Hold me like I'm more than just a friend_

_Give me a memory I can use_

_Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do_

_It matters how this ends_

_Cause what if I never love again?_

Emma let herself be carried down to Killian's cabin and she let him love her. He made her feel like she was worthy of love, despite everything that had happened to her in the twenty-nine years she had lived. She hoped that she made him feel the same.

They lay curled up together afterwards, sweating and panting, feeling sated and complete. He pressed kisses to all her bare skin, making Emma laugh and bat him away.

Emma knew that it wouldn't make tomorrow easier. She wanted to stay, to do this again, to know if there could be a them, but she also knew that it was the perfect way to end things. She knew she'd never feel this way again, because she might forget Killian, but she knew she'd never forget this feeling inside of her, no matter where she was.

_Let this be our lesson in love_

_Let this be the way we remember us_

_I don't wanna be cruel or vicious_

_And I ain't asking for forgiveness_

_All I ask is_

It made Emma feel better, that he would remember her like this. That he would remember her lying between his legs, laughing and smiling, kissing him. She wanted to live on in his memory forever like this.

They talked about their fears and their wishes and regrets. Love was never mentioned, of course, but Emma felt it between them. She knew she did. And she also knew this was her fault. If she was only able to realise that she loved before she lost someone, then maybe they could've been together. Emma told him about what Neal did to her and Killian told her about what he did to Neal and Emma forgave him and maybe Killian forgave her for not realising until now, until the last moment.

But Emma was so glad that she did, because what if she never loved again?

_If this is my last night with you_

_Hold me like I'm more than just a friend_

_Give me a memory I can use_

_Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do_

_It matters how this ends_

_Cause what if I never love again?_


	2. Chapter 2

He was trying to be a good guy. It was difficult. He was a pirate. He'd not really tried to be a good guy in years, not in the Enchanted Forest at any rate. Neverland had changed things. But, here, it was more difficult. Emma wasn't here to encourage him to be good. But he was trying. So, why in the name of all that is good in the world was he being punished?

And by Milah's son. It was as if the world didn't want him to be good to the lad- man. The world made it so damn difficult. He'd sworn to look after him – and then he'd screwed it up in Neverland with the whole lost boys thing.

And then he'd fallen in love with the mother of Bae's child, who Bae also loved. He'd tried to step back. He really had. He'd tried to spend less time with her, but she was enchanting and funny and beautiful. And he loved her. Bae had had his chance and he'd fucked up. Surely that meant it was Killian's turn? But, no, he'd stepped back to allow Emma and Bae a second chance.

But Emma had come to him. She'd made her own choice and spent her last night in Storybrooke in his bed. She'd told him what happened with Bae, what he'd done to her. Killian had told her, too, what he'd done to Bae. And she forgave him. That night, she was so much more than his friend. That night, they were lovers and he trusted her with everything. She'd trusted him too. For once, Emma Swan had trusted him. Killian smiled at the thought.

The next morning, when he watched her go, all he wanted to do was follow her. He must have looked truly heartbroken because Emma's mother had approached him and squeezed his hand, looking into his eyes before letting go.

Seconds later, they appeared in the Enchanted Forest. And, two weeks later, Killian was living in a palace with the love of his life's parents. He'd tried to leave, he really had. He knew it was going to be difficult to be without Emma and he wanted to bury himself in piracy and rum, but Swan's parents had told him to come with them, to be a part of something, to help them rebuild the kingdom. And he'd said yes. He could look after Emma's family and help them and he knew that would have been what Emma would have wanted.

For the first few weeks, he had lived there in peace, helping the monarchs rebuild the kingdom. He worked with Charming to build houses for the people and they rebuilt the navy together. Charming had even taken some of his suggestions. Throwing himself into the work meant that he could clear his head. All he could think of was Emma, all of the time, and he knew that Snow and Charming knew it.

In the third week at the palace, Baelfire arrived with Belle and a comatose Rumpelstiltskin. And Killian had been glad to see Baelfire, glad that he was alright. But, quickly, Killian began to get annoyed. All Baelfire – Neal – ever talked about was how much he loved Emma and – and this galled Killian – how much she loved him. How they should have been a family. It took a lot not to tell Neal that Emma had spent her last night in his bed, crying out his name.

But, still, Killian had stayed. He liked it at the palace. He got on well with Charming and Snow and Robin Hood, who had moved into the palace also. Robin Hood was the Evil Queen's new paramour, not that she'd admit it. She was a bit like his Swan that way.

And, now in his thirteenth week at the palace, Killian was still there, sitting in the dining hall with the people that he had come to think of as friends. Neal was telling a story about Emma and everyone was cooing, as if Neal deserved to love Emma. Eventually, it got to Killian and he burst.

"She didn't love you!" he shouted and then swore under his breath. How much had he had to drink?

The room went silent and Neal stared at Killian. "You left her in jail!" Killian continued, figuring everyone should know. "You abandoned her in jail!"

Neal opened his mouth to interject but Killian didn't let him.

"She told me," Killian said coldly. "She told me she was seventeen and you let her take the fall for _your_ crime. And you blamed it on some man, but that's just an excuse for your cowardice. You were too scared of your father to protect the woman you supposedly love."

And, with that, not even looking at Snow or Charming, Killian returned to his chambers, dizzy with anger and annoyed at his actions. Just when he'd found his place here, he had to leave.

"Fuck," he muttered, beginning to pack.

**XXX**

Dear Hook,

I am sorry that you felt that you had to leave. I do understand and I want you to know that you are welcome in our castle and in our kingdom whenever you should want and for however long you should want.

I would also like to say that both David and I are immensely grateful for the help you have given us with our kingdom over the past three months. We would not be where we are today without you. I know that Emma would be incredibly proud of the man you have become.

David and I spoke to Neal about what you said and he admitted that it was the truth. He explained what August told him and, although I do agree that it was cowardly, I also understand his actions. As I'm sure we both know, fear is a difficult thing to overcome, especially when you have been running for so long. David, however, completely agrees with you. You two are more similar than you know.

I am so glad that we got to know you properly over these past months and I want you to know that David and I both truly treasure your friendship. Please do not hesitate to ask for our help with anything you need. Remember that you are always welcome in our home. I hope that you find what you are looking for.

Yours,

Snow

**XXX**

Dear Hook,

I hope that this letter finds you in the middle of the ocean on the deck of the Jolly Roger because I know that that is the only thing capable of truly making you happy now. I found myself missing you this morning as I thought about my daughter. I try to imagine what she is doing now, how much fun she and Henry are having, and it just hurts so much.

Things remain well within our kingdom and our family. Robin and Regina continue to grow closer. I cannot describe how strange it is to see Regina, who is such a powerful and headstrong woman, become completely smitten with a man. She has been searching for happiness for so long. I believe she may have finally found it.

Neal has not stopped looking for a way back to Henry and Emma, despite the futility of his attempts. He travels far from our kingdom in search for magical beans, although we have told him repeatedly that they won't work. David is grateful for the times he is away. It is awkward sometimes when we sit around the dinner table together, as hard as I try to avoid it.

Belle has travelled to her own kingdom to help her father run the kingdom. Their kingdom has not recovered as readily as ours. It should not have been affected by the curse, but Belle's father happened to be in Misthaven when the curse took, so Belle's kingdom has been without a real monarch for twenty-eight years. She is next in line to rule the kingdom, although it is clear to us all that the thought of being queen terrifies her. She is set to return here in a few weeks, when she hopes her father will have recovered from his illness.

As for David and I, well, our news is perhaps the most exciting of all: we are expecting a child. We miss Emma every day and a new baby will in no way replace her in our hearts. She will always be my first child. I can only hope that she would be happy that she is to have a sibling.

I send this in the hopes that you are well and happy. Remember that, should you ever need our help, all you need to do is ask. You are always welcome here.

Best wishes,

Snow

**XXX**

The Jolly hadn't been easy to find, but he'd done it. Maybe he'd manipulated Ariel a bit and let her down and he knew that Emma wouldn't be proud of him, but he also knew she'd understand – she would understand.

He robbed and stole and pilfered, his crew at his side, and it was the same. He drank rum and gambled and it was the same. Until a woman would sit on his lap. And then it wasn't the same because it wasn't Emma and he wanted Emma. So he'd take her out of the tavern and pay her off and go back to the ship alone because Emma Emma Emma.

He knew his crew had noticed that he was different and the more obtuse members of his crew had brought her name up with him. He'd found new crew, from places other than Misthaven, places that hadn't ever heard the name Emma Swan. Smee stayed with him, of course, but the others were replaceable and replaced.

Killian was always on the lookout for news of Emma's family, just in case. It was not until his fifth month in the Enchanted Forest that he met one of them again.

It had been a stormy night and the Jolly had sustained damage, so Killian and his crew had begun to make for the nearest port, post haste. Thankfully, the main sail hadn't taken much damage so they were able to move along fairly swiftly. They were a few miles out from port when Killian saw her.

Belle sat in a small rowing boat, no oars with her. She was curled up slightly and she appeared to have given up. "Belle!" he shouted and she didn't answer. Killian swore violently. "Belle!" he shouted again and she looked up. Tears glistened on her cheeks.

Killian pulled Belle up onto the ship and she fell into his arms. "It's alright," he soothed. "Come on, Belle, it's alright," he repeated.

Belle came to port with him and he got her some new clothes and she stayed in his quarters while he slept in with the crew. He promised to take her back to the Enchanted Forest after she told him that her ship had been shipwrecked and everybody on it except her had died. He wondered if he would do the same for any woman. He wondered if he would have done the same before he'd met and fallen in love with Emma Swan. He was unsure as to whether he wanted to know what he would have done.

The trip back to the Enchanted Forest and Misthaven was short and Killian could practically feel his crew's dissatisfaction with his choice to take Belle back to Misthaven. When he arrived in Emma's parents' kingdom, he was fully aware that most of his crew were abandoning ship.

Killian paid for a carriage to the palace, leaving Smee and a few other loyal members of his crew on his ship, informing them that he would most likely stay the night but would return in the morning. Killian steeled himself ready.

**XXX**

Snow caressed her stomach softly as she watched her husband talk with their closest advisors over the latest attack from Zelena. A whole village had been turned into her monkey warriors and even Regina didn't know how to stop her.

A knock on the door broke Snow from her reverie and she turned to David, standing up. He moved slightly in front of her and drew his sword. The guards at the door knew not to let anybody interrupt their council meetings. Snow wrapped an arm tighter around her stomach. The doors opened and Snow gasped loudly at who she found there.

"Killian," burst from her mouth. The pirate who had become their friend was standing by the door, alongside Belle. Snow had not expected to see either of them for months. David was by her side immediately, greeting their friends. He shook Killian's hand enthusiastically and gave Belle a hug when Snow hugged Killian.

"You've been eating a few too many cakes, your majesty," Killian teased, looking down at her stomach. Snow rolled her eyes and cupped his cheek fondly.

"What happened?" Snow asked, taking Belle's hand in her own and dragging her over to the council table, followed by Killian.

"There was a shipwreck. Killian saved me," Belle replied. "I was going to die if he hadn't found me." Snow gave Killian a beaming smile.

"You will both stay," David declared. "Stay for a week, a month. We'll have a ball in your honour." Snow watched Killian smile but knew immediately that he would say no. And he did, although he agreed to stay for the night. "Then, we will have a feast tonight." Snow smiled, laying her hands on her stomach. She loved food.

They finished the meeting. Belle and Killian watched and participated in the meeting. They were actually very helpful, both with different but equally helpful experience. Afterwards, they both retired to Snow and David's chambers and the four of them caught up. Snow laughed and laughed at both of their stories. Belle declared that, with her kingdom, you had to laugh or you would cry.

Killian told them about his ship and Snow had a feeling he was missing a bit out of that story, but she didn't press him on it. When Belle was talking, Killian looked off into the distance and Snow could see how desperately unhappy he was.

**XXX**

Killian,

It was so wonderful to see you, even if only for a day. Please come back whenever you need, for just a night or more. We love your company and are missing your advice at the council meetings.

Belle is so grateful to you for helping her. She has returned to her father again now and we miss her already. She writes to me often, for advice, and I ask her for it too. I hope that our kingdoms are going to be allies for the entirety of our reigns. She says that her father has been suggesting marriages for her and that was why she was on that boat. Rumplestiltskin still hasn't woken up but he is the only one she wants. I doubt her reign would accept the Dark One as their king, however.

Our baby continues to grow. Sometimes, I swear I can feel him kick but I know that it is too early. When I was pregnant with Emma, I remember her kicking all the time. Hopefully, this baby is tamer and will allow me to sleep unlike his big sister.

I think about her all the time. I hope that she and Henry are happy in New York, but, more than anything, I wish she were here with us. Henry would love to be a prince, although perhaps Emma would make a better pirate than a princess. I can't imagine that she would enjoy having so many rules to follow.

I am glad that she is far from Zelena, who continues to plague us with threats. Regina's magic keeps her out of the castle, but we don't have enough to protect our people and more and more disappearances are coming to light. It is a scary place to be right now and I don't know what Zelena will do next.

I hope that this letter finds you well and that you are taking care of yourself. Remember that there is always a place for you in our council and in our castle. Be safe.

Yours truly,

Snow

**XXX**

Killian,

A curse is coming from Zelena that will rip us back to Storybrooke. We don't know what will happen there. If you wish to remain in this land, you must leave Misthaven immediately and travel to another kingdom. Be safe.

Your friends always,

Snow and David

"Shite," Killian declared. He was alone on his ship. He looked to the horizon and saw an ominous green cloud there. "Shit, fuck." He'd been too busy thinking about Emma, and the last letter he'd received with the potion, to be looking into the sky. He had to go. He had to go and get Emma. Her family was in danger.

He pulled up the anchor. He had no time or wish to get his crew. They'd get to Storybrooke and he'd see them there, but, first, he had to get out of Misthaven to escape the curse and it was looming. He had the fastest ship in the kingdom, in the realm, but it wasn't moving quick enough.

"Come on, girl," he muttered, adjusting the sails. A sudden gust of wind had them moving quickly and Killian watched the cloud grow closer. It wasn't enough. "Bollocks," he muttered. It was so close now. Snow and David must be gone already, Killian realised. All of them, ripped back to Storybrooke. Would they have memories? The last curse had taken their memories. Would he lose the friendship he had made with them all? Would they think he was just a pirate again?

It was all this pondering that distracted Killian from noticing as they crossed kingdoms. He only noticed, in fact, when the green cloud hit a barrier, like glass, and stopped. Killian exhaled in relief. He just had to get to Emma now.

**XXX**

Killian arrived in New York City, without a ship, but with a mission. He looked around, hoping it was indeed New York. Surely it couldn't be that hard to find Emma. He was stood in an alleyway between two buildings and stepped out. Sunlight hit him. And then a man on the phone hit him. "Get out of the fucking way!" the man shouted at him and Killian stared at him in shock. There must have been thousands of people all around him. He saw flashes of blonde everywhere, but none of them Emma. How the hell was he going to do this? Killian followed a flow of people. He just needed to get away from this crowd and figure it out.

Killian wandered the street for hours. He had no idea what to do. He had no idea properly where he was. He stepped inside a building labelled as a library and approached a woman sat at the desk, dressed in an odd fashion with spectacles on. "Hello," he said with a charming smile. She was young, the woman, and she smiled back. Excellent, Killian thought.

"I was wondering if you would be able to help me find somebody," he said. She looked a bit uneasy, so Killian explained, "I was in love with her. At school. And I wanted to find her and tell her, because she's been on my mind constantly recently." He gave her a sad smile and the woman nodded.

"Okay," she said. "What's her name?"

Killian watched as the woman typed Emma Swan into the – magic box. "Emma Swan," the woman muttered. "It says here she is a bail bondsperson, with her own business. Swan & Co," she explained. Killian severely doubted there was a 'co'. His Swan was a bit of a loner.

"Great. Is there an address?" Killian asked eagerly.

"Yeah. She rents an office in this building," she told him, reeling off the building number. Killian asked if she could give him directions and she did and then he was off, thanking the woman profusely on the way out. How successful he was.

**XXX**

Killian found the office. It was dark, but he ascended the staircase to the office labelled as 'Swan & Co'. He knocked on the door and somebody answered. It wasn't Swan.

"For fuck's sake," Killian muttered.

"Are you looking for Ms Swan?" the woman asked, holding some sort of bottle with an odd lid and a cloth. She was wearing a blue pinafore and Killian wondered if that was some sort of strange fashion.

"Yes. Emma Swan," he said.

"She's gone home. I'm the cleaner for the building. You want her address?" the cleaner asked. She was chewing something and Killian crumpled his nose.

"Yes please," Killian replied nevertheless. He did find it a bit dodgy that she was willing to give out her address so easily. She didn't know that he had good intentions for Emma. Who knows what crazy people she'd given Emma's address out to?

"Okay, she lives at…"

**XXX**

Killian waited until the morning. The cleaner had suggested that it was far too late then and Killian agreed. He walked up the staircases to Emma's apartment. If he got to this apartment and it wasn't here, he would be devastated, but he had a good feeling.

He took a deep breath and knocked.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma Swan was happy. The new start in New York, away from Boston, had been what she and Henry needed. Henry was happy at his school. He was getting good grades and had made lots of friends. She had started a bails bond person business and the money was coming in. Their apartment was beautiful, with views of Central Park.

Emma spent most nights with Henry, playing on his xbox or watching films. She declined any invitations for dates. She didn't date. She couldn't remember having been on a date since Henry was born.

After Henry had been born, Emma had realised that she really didn't need anybody else. She'd never been good at the friend thing, anyway, and, after Neal had screwed her over, she hadn't even wanted to look at another man, so she guessed she hadn't. Sometimes she felt lonely, like she needed a partner, an adult partner, but then she remembered that she didn't want to fuck Henry over with her bad decisions.

Emma rolled over. What did she want for breakfast? They'd had pancakes yesterday and she wasn't really feeling them today. Maybe bacon, sausages-

Emma hurled. She jumped up out of bed and ran to the bathroom, emptying her stomach of everything she had eaten over the past day. She then leant against the toilet, disgusted by the bits of sick in her hair. Henry rushed in. "Mom, mom, are you okay?" he asked her worriedly.

Emma smiled, wiping her mouth. "Sorry, Henry. I think I must have come down with a bug or something. Don't worry about me. I'm just going to grab a shower real quick. I'll be out in five minutes, I promise," Emma said, squeezing his hand. Henry nodded and backed out of the room.

Emma shook her head, wondering what on earth she had eaten to make her throw up so violently.

XXX

It had taken two weeks for Henry to convince Emma to see a doctor, but, after two weeks during which she'd thrown up on ten days, Emma had finally agreed. Emma laid out her symptoms: she'd been sick and she felt tired.

The doctor looked at her, narrowing her eyes slightly. "And when was your last period?" she asked.

Emma scoffed. "I'm not pregnant," she told her.

"Tender breasts?" she asked.

"It's impossible. I can't be pregnant," Emma stated firmly. But when was her last period? And her breasts were more tender. But that was because she was coming onto her period. She was just late.

"I-"

"Backache?" the doctor checked and Emma shook her head. "Can I just do a check, Emma?" she asked and Emma nodded. This would prove the doctor wrong.

Emma lay down on the bed and lifted her t-shirt. The doctor got her stethoscope.

XXX

A roofie. Somebody must have slipped her a roofie and raped her. The thought made Emma sick. She sat on her bed with the scan picture. The doctor had had to point out the baby to Emma. It was tiny. And had half the DNA of a rapist. Emma was petrified. How had this happened? She was never going out on her own again.

Pregnant. Eight weeks pregnant. It must have happened in Boston, just before they left. Or in their first few days in New York. Either way, she was sick with disgust. Somebody had raped her. Had used her. When had it happened though? Emma had no idea and she got a headache whenever she tried to think of her time in Boston.

Emma sighed when she heard Henry walk into the apartment. He walked into her room.

"So? What is it?" he asked eagerly.

Emma looked at the picture in her hand. "It looks like I'm pregnant," she whispered and she couldn't look at Henry's face. Things had been really good just the two of them. How would he feel about a third person coming to join them?

"Wicked!" he declared. Emma looked up and furrowed her brow. "A baby. Mom, this is so cool! Is it a boy or a girl? I guess you don't know yet. We should go shopping! Where will he/she sleep? In here? Or they could have my room or-"

Henry stopped talking when Emma embraced him. She kissed the side of his head and whispered, "Thank you."

XXX

It was when Henry dragged her into a baby shop that Emma realised. She was excited about having this baby. She'd been so young when she'd had Henry and she didn't really remember most of it. To do it again, yeah, it terrified her, but it was a challenge that she was excited by.

And she was a good mom. She knew that and she liked being a mom, more than she liked being a bailsbondperson. She could do this. She had the money.

She and Henry went crazy in that shop. Bailsbondpersonage had good pay and Emma had a lot of money from Boston that she must have got for their old house, so Emma and Henry bought lots of things for the baby. They bought it all in brown and white and, when they got home, converted a corner in Emma's room to a nursery for the baby.

"I think you should call the baby, if it's a girl, Enya," Henry announced and Emma smiled. That was a sweet name.

"We'll put it on the list," she said.

XXX

And, after that, they begin to compile a list. Every morning, they had come up with a name and put it on. Emma really liked Enya, more and more as each day went by, but she hadn't found the perfect name for a boy yet.

Emma returned home to the apartment that afternoon, after her doctor's appointment. She found Henry playing his Warcraft game and sat next to him, picking up her controller. "How do you feel about having a brother?" she asked him.

Henry gasped and cheered. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes," he continued, taking the baby photo off his mom. "This is so cool, Mom. I am so glad you're having a baby," he told her and Emma smiled.

"Me too."

XXX

Emma looked at her baby. He was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. He had beautiful blue eyes and Emma didn't want to consider that they belonged to the rapist father. Maybe her mom or dad had had blue eyes. His hair was dark and he had Emma's nose and chin, like Henry. "Oh, Liam," she sighed. "Liam." She and Henry had a list that would run up and down the Champs Elysees twice, but Liam had never been mentioned and, now that she had said it, it was perfect.

"Liam Henry Swan," she said, kissing his nose and brushing her fingers against his nose. "I love you, Liam," she said softly.

XXX

One and a half months later, Emma sat across the table from Henry at breakfast. Their pancakes were ready and on their plates and they each had a hot mug of cocoa. Emma tucked in eagerly. Technically, she told herself, she was still eating for two, as she was breastfeeding Liam.

"Liam still asleep?" Henry asked her, as he drank some of his orange juice. Emma nodded.

"Little scoundrel, keeping me up half the night," she said fondly. "I think I'll sleep all day while you're at school," Emma laughed.

"Nah, Liam will just keep you up," Henry joked and Emma laughed, agreeing. There was a knock on the door. Emma looked at her son and he shrugged. The knock came again. Emma treaded to the door, well aware that she was wearing pyjamas, and opened it. There stood a man fully in black. He had dark hair and scruff and he was covered in leather.

"Swan," the man sighed and Emma looked at his warily. He took a step forward, "at last!"

"Woah, do I know you?" she asked, putting a hand out in front of her.

"Look, I need your help. Something's happened, something terrible. Your family is in trouble," he told her.

"My family's right here," she said firmly. "Who are you?"

"An old friend," he said. "Look, I know you can't remember me but I can make you."

And he leaned in for a kiss. Her eyes widened and she kneed him in the bollocks.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked him desperately.

"A long shot. I was hoping you felt as I did," he said, clutching his crotch. "Look, I know this seems crazy but you have to listen to me. You have to remem-"

Emma shut the door in his face. Crazy person.

"Who was that?" Henry asked.

"No idea. Someone must have left the door open downstairs," she said, sitting back down to breakfast with her son.

XXX

The man at the door plagued Emma's thoughts all day. She tried to nap whenever Liam did, but she found his face coming to her mind. She felt like she knew him and she hated that the only thing coming to mind was that he must have been the one to drug and rape her, because who else would she have forgotten?

She shook her head. She had wanted a hot cocoa and had suggested it to Henry, before realising they had no milk. "Ah, Mom, you've got my hopes up now," Henry said disappointedly. Emma grinned.

"I'll be two minutes. Keep an eye on Liam," she warned, pointing a finger at him.

"Of course," he said, affronted. Emma ruffled his hair and grabbed her keys. She took the stairs two at a time. The shop was opposite their apartment block.

She quickly grabbed the milk and got in the queue. As she did, however, she felt someone sidle next to her. "You!" she shouted, recognising the man. She took a step back. What if he was the man that had raped her? What if he knew about Liam?

"Hey, hey, calm down," he said. "I'm just here to give you something." Emma glared fiercely at him. He passed her a piece of paper. "I know you don't believe me, but this isn't you. This life isn't yours. Go to that address. I promise you you'll get your answers," he swore, before striding out.

Emma rolled her eyes, but she put the piece of paper in her pocket and went to buy her milk.

XXX

Emma strode angrily over to the man who had plagued the last few days of her life. She'd gone to the address, of course she had. She was curious. She had put Liam in his pram and gone on the subway at a relatively quiet hour. It was an apartment and she quickly figured out whose it had been. Neal. More than that, though, she had found a camera with a strap on that said 'Henry'.

Who the hell was this guy?

"Who the hell are you?" she asked angrily, shoving him with her hand.

"Woah, woah, Swan."

"Are you in it with him, huh? Does he want me back after twelve years of nothing? After what he did to me? To me and my son? You can tell him to go and fuck himself!" Emma screamed.

"No," the man said, shaking his head. "You visited that apartment last year with Henry. You've just forgotten. You had your memory taken. Emma," he implored. He produced a vial of blue liquid and Emma stepped forward, shaking her head. She took handcuffs out of her pocket and, before he could react, she'd handcuffed him to a bike rack. "Again?" he commented.

"What?" she said with a roll of her eyes. "You're a crazy person," she informed him.

"I prefer dashing rapscallion," he corrected and, at her derisive look, he said, "scoundrel?"

Emma's face hardened. Had he been watching her? That was what she called her son. She pulled over two NYPD officers. "This man assaulted me," she told them.

"It was a kiss!" the crazy man shouted back at her.

"There you are – a confession," she said, leaving and going home to where her baby was with her neighbour.

XXX

Emma dropped the charges. She developed the photos from Henry's camera and saw photos of a town called Storybrooke and of people Emma had never seen before. Emma pushed Liam's pram along the sidewalk to where the man was being kept. She was standing there for a few minutes, worrying, before he came out.

"Hey, we need to talk," she said, standing next to the pram by the steps.

"Swan," he said. "I knew you wouldn't let me rot in that cage. I've been in my fair share of brigs, but none as barbaric as that one. They force fed me something called bologna," he said disgustedly and Emma ignored him, choosing to show him the pictures.

"What the hell are these?" she asked, spreading them apart. "We never lived in a town called Storybrooke. We never took a flight from Boston to New York – we drove. We never did any of this," she declared.

"So, you believe me then?" he asked her.

"I don't know. You could have photoshopped these pictures," she speculated wildly. He crumpled his brow.

"Photoshopped?" he asked. What planet was this guy from?

"Faked," she corrected.

"If you think these are forgeries, then why did you spring me from the brig?"

Who even talked like that nowadays?

"Because as much as you deny it, deep down, you know something's wrong," he continued and Emma looked at her shoes. She did. Maybe she'd known it since she'd found out she was pregnant. "Deep down, you know I'm right."

Emma shook her head.

"It's not possible. How could I forget all of this?"

"I promise you there's an explanation," he said, but she wasn't quite ready to relinquish her sanity.

"Not one that makes sense," she shot back. He offered her the blue liquid again. Was this how it had happened, she wondered? Had he convinced her to drink it? And then raped her?

But none of this made sense. She would remember him from before he'd roofied her, if that was how it happened. Sometimes you just had to take a risk.

"If you drink this, it will," he promised and she looked at Liam.

"If," she said, running things over in her head. "If what you're saying is true, I'd have to give up my life here," she realised.

"It's all based on lies," he said simply but passionately.

"It's real and it's pretty good," she said with a small smile. "I have my sons and a good job," she said and he shook his head at her.

"Perhaps you had all of that in this life too. Henry was always your son, Swan," he told her and Emma nodded distractedly. What should she do? "Regardless, if you wanna find the truth, drink up. Do you really want to live a life of lies?" he asked her and of course Emma didn't. "You know this isn't right. Trust your gut, Swan. It will tell you what to do."

"Henry always says that."

"Well, then, if you won't listen to me, then listen to your boy," Killian told her emphatically. She stared into his eyes. They were bluer than blue. She reached out and took the potion, uncapping it and downing it.

XXX


	4. Chapter 4

Memories came flooding back. David. Mary Margaret. Regina. Storybrooke. Ogres. The Enchanted Forest. Mulan. Aurora. Killian.

Emma's eyes snapped open and she stared at him. She remembered. She remembered. She wasn't raped. Emma let out a sob and she looked down at her baby. A baby created in love not violence.

"Swan," he said worriedly. She blamed the sobs on the leftover pregnancy hormones.

"Killian," she whimpered.

"Did you miss me?" he asked quietly with a smirk.

"We have to go. We have to go back to my apartment," she muttered, taking hold of the pram.

"Swan, what-"

"We have to go," she repeated.

They walked in silence, much to Emma's gratuity. Liam was Killian's. Liam. Liam. Killian's brother's name. How had she known? She supposed she hadn't until she'd given birth. And then she'd seen his eyes. Killian's eyes. And Liam. She had a son with Killian. With Captain Hook.

She had a son with Captain Hook.

Emma took the lift up to the apartment with Liam and she bit back a grin when Killian regarded the contraption warily. She supposed there weren't lifts in the Enchanted Forest.

He didn't have his hook on. She supposed him walking around with a hook would have been a bit conspicuous. It must have been awful for him, to not have it on. It must feel unnatural.

She unlocked the door and let him in. She pushed the pram into the kitchen area and took Liam out, caressing his head when he whimpered. "Swan, what the he-" She stood a few metres away from him, with a small smile on her face. She had never done this before, told somebody that her baby was his. There wasn't an obvious script for what to say, so she went with honesty.

"For months, I thought I'd been drugged and raped. I couldn't remember having sex with anybody. I guess Regina didn't think to give me a sex life. So, when I found out I was pregnant, well, I was confused to say the least, but now I'm not, because we have a son, Killian," she whispered and he stared at her, his eyes wide and blue like they were the night they created Liam.

"He's- he's mine?" he asked her, gaping. Emma nodded, tears in her eyes. Killian stared at the baby. What was he going to say? He had never seemed desperate for a child. Maybe he never planned on having children. "Emma," he whispered. Emma closed her eyes. What if he didn't want this? What if he wished he'd never come and got her? "Can I hold him?" he asked quietly and Emma nodded desperately.

She helped Killian hold him, making sure his head was secure, despite Killian's lack of hand. Emma would never bring it up, but she was sure she saw tears in his eyes. She wiped her own away. "What's his name?" he asked, never taking his eyes from his son.

Emma smiled, cupping his cheek and stroking his stubble. "Liam." Killian's head shot up and she shrugged with a smile. "It came to me, after he was born."

"A good name," he said gruffly.

"Liam Henry." Killian nodded, staring back down at their son. Emma could see the love in his eyes and she was so happy that he was Liam's dad.

"Bloody hell, Emma, how did we do this? How did we make something so- so perfect?" he asked.

"Hey, watch your language around our son," she said softly.

"Sorry," he apologised with a smirk. "Don't worry, Liam, I'll corrupt you when she's not looking," he faux-whispered and Emma laughed, watching as Killian cooed over their son.

She couldn't believe she'd even been worried. He was such a great guy.

When Liam began to cry, Killian shot Emma a panicked look and she took their son from him, showing Killian how to find out what is wrong with their son. He looked disgusted when she sniffed Liam's bum and Emma rolled her eyes and started to show him how to change a nappy.

When he was clean again, Liam giggled and Emma called him a scoundrel. "My little pirate," she amended with a wink to Killian.

"So, my parents?" she asked, putting Liam back into Killian's arms to his satisfaction. Emma watched with a smile as Liam curled into his dad's chest.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Killian led Emma over to her sofa and sat back down comfortably with Liam. "In my bag, there are some letters from your parents to me over the past year. I stayed with them when we arrived in the Enchanted Forest and I helped them rebuild the kingdom. I talked to them both a lot about you. I left after I had an argument with Baelfire – Neal – and I went to find the Jolly. I went back to them after a few months when I found Belle shipwrecked. I stayed for a night, talked to your parents for a bit, especially your mother, and then I returned to my life of piracy.

"Your mother sent me letters throughout the year and she sent me one final one warning me about the curse. All I know about it is that they'll be in Storybrooke and it was cast by Zelena – otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West," he explained to her.

"Are you fuck-"

"Ey, ey, Swan, watch your language around our lad. I tell you what, Liam, a hypocrite your mother isn't she?"

"Shut up," she said, hitting his shoulder and grinning. "So I guess we're going home then?" she checked. Killian nodded, staring down at his son. "Do you think it would be okay if we stayed here for a few days?" she asked. "Just so you can properly get to know Liam."

"I think that would be perfect," he said. Emma bit her lip and then leaned across and kissed him softly on the lips. He smiled softly at her.

And, as if on cue, Liam began to cry again. "I tell you what, he doesn't half cry a lot, does he?" Killian said exasperatedly.

"It's because he's your son," she teased, poking him in the stomach. "Come on, my little scoundrel. Do you want feeding, hey?" she cooed and Killian smiled at her. "Okay, baby boy," she said, starting to unbutton her top. "Give him here," she said, but Killian was staring at her breasts. "Oi, perv, can I have my son please?"

Killian handed his son over to her and Emma positioned him against her breast. He began to suckle on it. "Guess he is my son," he said with a waggle of his brows. Emma shook her head with a smirk. Killian moved closer to her, observing his son suckling on her breasts.

"Emma," he started, after a few minutes. "I'm in love with you," he stated simply. Emma looked up like a deer in the headlights. "I know that you find this frightening and I don't imagine you to feel the same. I know that this is challenging for you. I just need you to see that I love you and I am so sorry that you had to do this alone. I wish I'd been here for the birth and as you learned how to raise an infant on your own. You must have been so afraid and I swear to you that you will never be alone again, you and Liam and Henry. I'm here and I'm never going to leave," he promised her.

Emma nodded, her eyes full of tears. "Thank you," she rasped. "Thank you," she repeated.

"Killian, I'm not good at this. I usually don't realise things until the last minute, as evidenced," she said, gesturing to their son. Killian chuckled. "So, for now, I just need you here," she told him.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he promised her. Emma leaned across and kissed him and Killian smiled at her. "And it helps that I get to see your breasts as often as I'd like," he said with a leer and Emma laughed, rolling her eyes.

"As often as Liam would like," she corrected.

"I'm sure the lad and I can come to an arrangement," he assured her with a wink. Emma leaned her head against his shoulder and took the support he offered.

XXX

Emma was looking over the letters Killian had given her. "My mother's pregnant?" she exclaimed. Killian was watching over their son sleep.

"Oh! Yeah," he admitted. "Did I forget to tell you that?"

"Yes," Emma said emphatically.

"Sorry," he apologised with a shrug. "She's not given birth yet, so don't worry. Well, I don't think she has, at least. I think she would have sent me some sort of birth announcement." Emma nodded, glad she had a few days to get her head around this before she went to see her parents.

The thought of seeing them did make her happy. She'd spent another year of her life thinking that she'd been abandoned and that her parents didn't love her, but she was wrong. The thought of seeing everybody in Storybrooke again excited her. She'd not exactly had many friends in New York, but she had loads in Storybrooke. The only person she was worried about seeing was Neal. She hadn't yet had the discussion with him that she didn't want to be with him and turning up with Killian's child wasn't going to make that conversation easy, but it had to be done.

Emma knew that she wanted to be with Killian. She could generally trust her last minute realisations, some more than others, but she knew that going to see Killian that night had not just been about feeling alone or scared. She'd needed him to know that it could have been. And now it could be, so why did that scare her so much? Why was she such a screw-up?

"Hey, what do you want to do for lunch? I'm starving," she asked, noticing that it was gone two o clock and she hadn't eaten. Killian came out of Emma's bedroom and closed the door. "I suppose you don't really know much about lunch in this 'realm' do you?" she said with a teasing grin.

"That I don't, love," he replied.

"Okay, then, I will introduce you to pizza," she said, taking out her phone and getting up the app. Killian was staring at her with a furrowed brow. She held back a smirk. "How long have you been curious as to what these are?"

Killian scowled. "Please, just explain."

Emma giggled wildly at his confusion as she began to show him what a phone was.

XXX

Emma and Killian were sat, staring at the TV, surrounded by pizza boxes. Emma was still eating the remnants of the cold pizza. Killian had found the pizza to be 'satisfactory', but eating it cold was 'disgusting'. "So, he's in love with her, right?" Killian checked. Emma nodded.

"Yeah, and it's pretty obvious that she's in love with him too, but she's married with her kids and he's her boss so she can't really do anything about it," Emma explained.

"She could," Killian countered, "she's just choosing not to."

"I suppose, but you've got to consider how it would affect Grace and Zach. I mean, they're already freaking about their dad having slept with prostitutes. They don't need their mom telling them that she's leaving their dad," Emma said.

"But surely they'd expect it, you know, since he had slept with prostitutes," Killian said with a frown.

"Eh, I dunno. It makes for better viewing," Emma stated.

"So how many 'episodes' of this are there before they get together?" Killian asked.

"Well," Emma said, biting her lip.

"They don't get together do they? Oh bloody hell, how do you watch this torture?"

"No, well, they get together in season 3, but they break up in the same season," Emma told him with a shrug.

Killian sighed, "so is there like one episode per season or something?" he asked and Emma furrowed her brow, shaking her head incredulously.

"No, of course not. That's just an episode."

"Okay, so how many episodes are there in a season?" Killian asked.

"It depends," Emma said. "There's usually like twenty or so in a season and there's one season a year."

"I can assure you, love, there are four seasons in a year," he corrected her and Emma burst out laughing, realising that she hadn't explained what a season was. Killian scowled at her. "What? Is this another difference in this freakish realm of yours? Only one season? Which one?"

Emma clutched a hand to her stomach. "Stop, Killian, stop," she choked out.

"What is so funny, Swan?" he demanded to know.

"A season is a run of twenty episodes or so, but a season is also like summer or winter," Emma explained after a few more moments of laughing at Killian.

"Oh. So why in the name of the gods is it also called a season?" he asked, irritated.

"I don't know, Killian," she said, attempting not to giggle. He pouted next to her and her laughs bubbled out of her at the sight of Captain Hook, the scourge of the seas, pouting.

"How are you still eating that?" Killian asked her, narrowing his eyes incredulously at Emma taking yet another piece of cold pizza.

"It's good," Emma defended. Killian snorted.

"I severely doubt that," he said patronisingly. Emma slapped him in the stomach and he grunted.

"This is my apartment and I will eat whatever I want," she informed him.

"Oh, I deeply apologise, lass," he said back in the same patronising tone of voice. Emma rolled her eyes and settled back against him. Killian smiled and leaned his head against hers.

They continued to watch Netflix show for hours, only interrupted when Liam woke up to join them after a two-hour nap. He snuggled in Killian's arms and Emma snuggled up to both of them. It wasn't until four o' clock that Henry joined them in the apartment and Emma jolted upwards. "Crap," she muttered. "I have to explain this to Henry. Won't be a moment," she said, kissing his cheek, a move that shocked both her and Killian. Her eyes widened and she backed away. Killian gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, Henry!" Emma said, guiding him to the dining room table. "Can you sit down for a minute?"

"Yes," he said warily. "What's going on, Mom?" he asked her.

Emma took a seat opposite Henry, in their usual breakfast seats. She took her son's hands in hers. "Henry, what would you say about moving?" she asked.

XXX

Henry stared at his mom like she was crazy. She was crazy. "Moving? Why would we move? All of my friends are here. We have a great apartment and I love my school. Mom, what is going on?" Henry asked her incredulously.

"Henry, erm, Liam's dad is here," Emma stated simply. Henry's stomach dropped. He'd asked his mom who Liam's dad was a few months into her pregnancy and she'd told him that it wasn't somebody that she ever wanted to have anything to do with again and left it at that.

"So, we're running away?" Henry checked. He could leave, if that was what it meant to keep his mom and his brother safe.

"No," Emma said, shaking her head. "I know I told you months ago that I didn't want anything to do with Liam's dad, but I was wrong. Liam's dad, Killian, is a really good guy. He came here the other day and I reacted a bit harshly. He was the man at the door the other morning and I sent him packing, but he came back and, eventually, I listened to him. He's found my parents, Henry," Emma said.

"What?"

"He's found where my parents are living and I want to go and be with them. I want to know my parents and I want you to know your grandparents, your family."

"And we'd live there?" Henry checked. Emma nodded. "And would he live with us? Liam's dad?"

"I- I don't know. Maybe we'd give it a trial run? But I don't want to do anything you're uncomfortable with, Henry," Emma assured him and Henry nodded slowly.

"Could we go and visit there? And then we can make up our minds?" he said, feeling that his mom was being a bit impulsive. What if his grandparents didn't want to see them? They'd given her up, after all.

Emma nodded. "Of course," she said, squeezing his hands. "If you don't like it, then I guess we'll come back here," she told him and Henry nodded. "Do you want to meet Killian?"

Henry froze. Did he want to meet his brother's dad? Yeah, he guessed he did. He needed to know why the hell he hadn't been around for his mom being pregnant and the baby's birth and the first few months of Liam's life. Henry steeled himself and stood up from the table, walking around the wall to where Killian was sat, watching his mom's favourite show and cradling his baby brother.

"So you're Killian?" Henry asked and Killian turned around sharply. The elder man stood and wandered around the couch, so that he was stood in front of Henry. Henry put his hand out to him and Killian grimaced. Henry furrowed his brow, checking his hand to see if it was dirty.

"I'm afraid I can't shake your hand, lad," Killian admitted and Henry stepped back incredulously. He was holding his brother but he had another- Killian waved a stump at Henry and Henry's eyes widened.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Henry stammered. "I'm so sorry," he continued.

Killian shook his head. "You weren't to know. It was a long time ago. If I wasn't holding your brother, I would have loved to have shaken your hand, Henry," he told him. And Henry thought he might be a good guy.

But he couldn't let the abandonment go. Henry shook himself. "So, why now?" he started. "Why come back now instead of when you should have, when my mom found out she was pregnant?" Henry asked angrily and Killian swallowed obviously. Henry glared.

"Henry!" his mom admonished, coming around to stand next to Killian, who stood in the strangest clothes Henry had ever seen outside of a theme park. "Henry, Killian didn't know I was pregnant until today. He didn't know he had a son and, more than that, he didn't know where I was. I knew Killian in Boston and I didn't tell him we were moving here. It's my fault, not Killian's," she admitted. Henry weighed that up. If what his mom said was true, then Killian was just the innocent party in all of this and it was his mom's mistake.

"But why didn't you contact him?" Henry argued, unwilling to let it go.

Emma shook her head with a shrug. "I don't know. Henry, Killian didn't abandon me. He had no choice," Emma emphasised.

"You mean, unlike my dad who abandoned me?" Henry asked bitterly. His mom winced and Killian grimaced next to her.

"No, kid. Your dad abandoned me. He didn't know you existed," his mom reminded him calmly. He'd been told this a million times and he knew it was true. But was his dad abandoning his mom better than him abandoning Henry? Henry thought it was worse.

Henry gave it up. He was wrong. He turned to Killian. "So you're my mom's boyfriend then?" he checked.

His mom's eyes widened and she looked at Killian, her face red. "No, no, we're just- We're just-" she stammered. Henry nodded, looking between them curiously.

"Okay, you two can figure that out while I get myself a drink," Henry said, rolling his eyes.

XXX

"Boyfriend?" Killian whispered in Emma's ear.

"Partner," Emma replied cautiously. Killian nodded, a bit stiffly. "I- We don't really know what we are, do we?" she tried to convince herself and him. "I mean-"

"Swan, when I told you that I would win your heart, I meant every word and nothing has changed. If anything, I mean it even more so. I am completely, utterly, heart-wrenchingly in love with you, Swan, Emma, and I will spend every day for the rest of my life trying to prove that to you and trying to be worthy of your love in return," Killian told her passionately.

Emma stared at him, her lips slightly parted and eyes wide. "Killian," she murmured.

"Let me prove it to you, Emma. Let me love you," he begged and Emma let out a sob. Her pregnancy had played around with her hormones. Or maybe it was breastfeeding still playing with them. Killian used his stumped arm to pull her into him. He pressed kisses to the top of her head, all the while cradling his son to him.

"Don't give up on me," Emma whispered into his chest. "Be patient, Killian, and please don't give up on me," she pleaded.

"Never," he assured her. "Never," he repeated quietly.

XXX


	5. Chapter 5

"Where did you stay the past few nights?" Emma asked Killian as she made up the couch as a bed for him, pink flowery duvet set and all. He'd told her of his arrival and how he had found her.

Killian shrugged. "An inn of some sort."

"Do you have money?" Emma asked incredulously. When they'd been in Storybrooke, he had insisted on paying for everything in doubloons, even the smallest things.

"I found an establishment that trades my doubloons for this realm's money," he informed her, "so I gave them one of my doubloons and they gave me some paper." He pulled some of the said paper from his pocket and wafted it around dismissively.

Emma snorted. "That's what we use in this world," she told him, placing a pillow at the end of the sofa. Killian narrowed his eyes at the paper. "It's much easier than carrying around gold coins and silver coins and what not, although we have some of those too. How much did they give you?" Emma asked curiously.

Killian shrugged and took more money out of the inside of his coat. Emma's jaw dropped. "What is it, Swan?" he asked, leafing through the money. "It can't be worth much. It's just paper. Weighs nothing like my doubloons. I'm afraid I got swindled."

"Fucking hell," she commented and Killian chuckled. "Hook, how many of these doubloons have you got? You could be a millionaire!"

Killian smirked, leaning in close to her. "Interested now, are you?"

Emma rolled her eyes, placing a hand on his chest to push him away with a smile. "Good night, Hook."

Killian's face softened and he smiled. "Good night, Swan."

Emma took three steps away and then turned around, taking the three steps back. Killian's brow furrowed. Emma lifted her neck slightly and kissed him softly, lingeringly. "Good night, Killian," she whispered when she pulled away.

"Good night, Emma."

XXX

Emma looked at herself in the mirror the next morning as she dressed. Liam was in the kitchen with Killian and Henry had gone to school. She looked distastefully at the fat that remained from her pregnancy and at her stretch marks. Her body was different from the first time she'd slept with Killian and he must have noticed. What if he didn't find her desirable anymore? He must have had the most beautiful women in all the realms. He'd probably slept with Tinkerbell and the equivalents of models in the Enchanted Forest. He was the hottest man she had ever seen and he had all the choice in the world, so why would he want her?

Emma shook herself and pulled out a dress from her wardrobe, holding it against her body. It had been her favourite dress before she'd been pregnant, not that she was really an avid dress wearer, but maybe… Emma grinned and pulled the dress over her head, pulling it down over the big hips. She scowled as her lack of a flat stomach became apparent. Emma felt like crying, shoving the dress back into the bottom of her wardrobe.

"Swan?" Killian said, knocking on her door. "You alright?"

Emma shook herself. "Yeah, just, erm, deciding on what to wear," she said, realising she sounded silly. Was she really doing this over a man? Emma shook her head at herself in the mirror and grabbed out some leggings and a long baggy jumper that she'd bought to fit over her pregnancy bump in the last month of pregnancy. It covered her big arse and for that she was pleased. Searching for her hairbrush, Emma caught sight of herself in the mirror and cringed.

When had she become so body-conscious? Was it about Killian? Silly question. Of course it was. Emma rolled her eyes at herself. This wasn't who she was.

She trod into the main area of the apartment and found her hair brush on the coffee table. She saw Killian in the kitchen, cradling Liam in his handless arm, and pouring cereal into a bowl with his good arm. Emma brushed her hair casually as she watched him murmur to Liam. It was only a few minutes before he turned around and found her stood there.

"You not joining us, love? Bad form," he teased. Emma smiled and approached him, taking their son out of his arms.

"Good morning, Liam," she cooed, snuggling him close and breathing in his baby smell. "Was Daddy looking after you?" Liam gargled. "Yes, he was," she continued in the baby voice that had always annoyed her before she'd had Liam. She turned to Killian and found him looking shell-shocked.

"You're alright with him calling me dad?" he asked when she looked at him inquisitively.

"Of course, Killian. You're his dad. I want him to grow up knowing exactly who his parents are," Emma said firmly. Killian nodded, probably catching her afterthought of not like I did. He pressed a kiss to her temple and Emma found herself leaning into him, rather than pulling away. Killian balanced his cereal on his arm and began to walk towards the dining table. Emma giggled. "Milk?" she suggested.

Killian set down his cereal, glared at her and grabbed the milk carton of her, grateful that she had already taken the lid off.

XXX

"I have to nip out to get the business ready for selling. I'm pretty sure I know a few people who'd like to buy it. I need to get some stuff from the office as well and set that up to be sold," Emma said as she dressed Liam. "I'll have to take this little man," she said, tickling her son's stomach and delighting in his giggles, "so do you wanna come with?" she asked with a smile to him.

"A day with you, Swan? How can I say no?" he asked her with a wink. Emma rolled her eyes fondly.

They set off not long later, Emma pushing Liam in the pram. She'd found herself wondering if Killian would even be able to push the pram without his hook and she didn't want to ask, so she'd just pushed the pram herself. They walked to Emma's office. It was quite a walk, but Emma wanted to teach Killian about this world. She pointed out things that might confuse him and, when there were moments that he understood everything, he regaled her with stories of his past year. She found herself laughing at most of them. He told her of piracy and illegality and mistakes and crew and life as a swashbuckler, a word that never failed to make her laugh.

When they reached the office, the two of them boxed up the paperwork, with Liam interrupting them every so often. Emma thought that she'd feel something when she'd packed everything into boxes and was saying goodbye, but all she felt was excitement and nerves. She wasn't sad when she was leaving. She wasn't going to miss this little office, where she was alone. She had a better life waiting for her. She just needed Henry to get his memories back.

Killian paid for their lunch on the way back to the apartment, at McDonalds. They each had a Big Mac and Emma laughed as Killian declared that they should have McDonalds in Storybrooke. Then they wandered back to the apartment. Emma said that she'd drive back to the apartment to get all the paperwork and, then, she and Killian began to put some things from the apartment away into the car. They weren't leaving for two days, but Emma knew that, once it was done, it was done.

Emma organised the movers and paid for them and she ordered loads of cardboard boxes for them to start boxing things up. She knew that Henry was going to be furious. They'd said they would just try it out, but Emma knew that, when they reached Storybrooke, Henry was going to want to stay.

So, they packed. Henry even helped, albeit reluctantly, when he got home. Killian wasn't much help, but Emma could only be so exasperated when he stood cooing with their son, speaking in that stupid accent through those stupid pouty lips. She found herself staring at him far too often. Worse, he found her staring at him far too often. He'd smirk at her and wink and Emma would scowl, fighting her smile. If Henry wasn't there, he would make a comment, something teasing or smutty, something to make Emma smile. When he was there, Henry scoffed every time, but Emma would just ruffle his hair and laugh. She knew that he secretly liked Killian and she knew that he definitely would when he had his memories back.

For the next few days, Emma and Killian spent time with their son, and with Henry. They watched Netflix and ate rubbishy food in between the formalities of moving.

Emma was no closer to figuring out her feelings towards Killian. She was fully aware that there was something there. There was a lot of something there. She knew that she liked him. She knew that she liked him more than she liked Neal, more than she liked other guys. She knew that her heart sped up when she saw him and she knew that he made her blush and he gave her butterflies. Being around him gave her butterflies and she felt hot sometimes and sometimes she would watch him, just holding Liam or talking to him, and her heart would pang and she would feel it all over her body, like warmth, like happiness, but more. Was that love? Was this how she'd felt when she was with Neal? Or was it more? Could the same word even be used? She'd been 17. She was almost double that now. And she was so broken. But when she was with Killian, it was like he was the glue that stuck her all back together. Emma looked down at the baby in her arms. She blamed him for this mushy shit. She was sure she'd never been emotional or sentimental until Liam had been born.

On the night before they were due to leave for Storybrooke, Emma put Liam into his cot and turned on the night light next to his bed. She looked around the room and closed the door lightly behind her. She could hear Henry in his room on his xbox, shouting at his friends about this and that and laughing. Killian smiled at her from the sofa. Emma retrieved some whiskey glasses from a box in the corner of the room and laughed when he took a bottle of rum from his coat.

She settled herself down next to him, feeling the sofa relax beneath her. It was just gone eight when Killian poured some rum into each of their glasses. She took a sip from hers and suggested that they watch a film. Killian agreed readily, having experienced films quite frequently over the past few days. They put on a comedy and Emma spent most of the film laughing, not at the film, but at Killian's confusion with it and his frustration with people's behaviour. Henry went to sleep at Emma's instruction at half past nine.

They put on a film of Killian's choice next and Emma was horrified that it was, this time, a romantic comedy that he liked the cover of. Even so, throughout the film, she felt herself drawing closer to him, until he had his arm wrapped around her and her head was leaning against his chest. She knew that someone who was less emotionally broken would call what they had a relationship. To get away from her fear of that, she ignored it and snuggled closer into his chest.

As the film's credits rolled, it was nearing twelve o'clock. They had been interrupted in the middle of the film by a baby boy wanting some milk, but he seemed to be quite settled now. The soft credit music played behind them. "It's probably time for sleep, hm?" Killian suggested tentatively. "I mean, we're to be up with the lark, so-"

Emma cut him off with her lips. She pressed them to his softly, barely a kiss.

"Swan," he whispered, pressing a similar kiss against hers, before pulling away and looking into her eyes. When she nodded with a smile, he kissed her again, more passionately. She moved, swinging her leg over his lap. He groaned and she grinned against his lips, her arms entangling themselves around his neck. His fingers burned through her clothes as he placed a hand on her waist. She couldn't feel his other arm around her and she pulled away, opening her eyes. His other arm sat on his lap and Emma smiled nervously, taking his stump and putting it on the other side of her waist. He grinned at her and kissed her again, pulling her as close to him as he could. Emma wasn't complaining.

They spent a while sat on the sofa kissing. "Hey, Killian," Emma whispered, pulling away and looking into his eyes, shuffling on his lap. They were dilated, barely blue anymore. Added to his tousled hair and puffy lips, he looked thoroughly debauched. "Do you wanna go to bed?" she asked, biting her lip.

Killian smirked. "After you, love." She led him to the bedroom, where she giggled.

"I feel like I'm sixteen, showing a boy my room," she said with a grin. He raised his eyebrows and put his hand and stump on her hips.

"Is that an important ritual here, Swan?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss her softly. She laughed and shook her head.

"Sorry, forgot you were from another time, old man," she teased. He shook his head at her and started to back her up until her legs were against the bed and she stopped. "What you gonna do, old man?"

"I'll show you old man," he said, pushing her back to lie on the bed. She leaned back onto her elbows. He reached down to her leggings and put his fingers beneath the waistband. His fingers on her skin made her burn up inside.

"Killian," she keened. He smirked and tugged on her leggings. Emma shimmied to help him and they started to come down. Emma suddenly froze as air hit her stomach, her thighs, the stretch marks.

"Love?" His tone was concerned.

"My body," Emma started, wincing, "it's different to- you know, the last time."

Killian looked up at her face and then back down. "Because you put on weight?" he said. Emma swallowed and nodded. Killian laughed and Emma scurried back on the bed. "Swan, since the last time I took you to bed, you've have birthed my child. Every change on your body just tells me that," he said and Emma blinked back tears. "You are so beautiful." He pressed a kiss to some of the stretch marks on her hips.

"Killian," Emma said, uncomfortable with his attention.

He shook his head. "I'm going to kiss you everywhere until you believe me," he promised her. Emma giggled.

"Everywhere?" she checked. He met her eyes and smirked.

"Everywhere."


	6. Chapter 6

Emma woke up surrounded by limbs. Killian had his arms around her and his leg was between hers. Emma looked at her alarm clock. 5:37. What the fuck, Emma? Why was she awake? The baby wasn't crying. Groaning, she turned around so she was no longer playing spoons with Killian, but curled up with him.

"Swan?" Killian murmured softly.

"Hey, sorry, I'm going back to sleep," she whispered but she felt him move his hands down her body. She giggled quietly and then slightly more loudly when he flipped her over and pinned her down onto the bed. They were a good few minutes in when a loud cry interrupted them. Emma closed her eyes, almost as if she were in pain and Killian relinquished his hold on her. Emma pulled on her dressing gown and went to pick up her baby boy, sending an apologetic look to him. She sat back on the bed when she'd changed his nappy so that she could feed him. Killian sat up and Emma leaned back against his chest.

They sat there for a while, watching their son feed. Afterwards, Liam cooed and settled against her. Killian pressed a kiss to Emma's temple. "How do you feel about today?" he whispered to her.

Emma worried her bottom lip and Killian used his finger to part them. Emma smiled softly. "I don't know," she told him honestly. "I can't wait to see my parents, truly. I miss them. I want them to know their grandson. I want Henry to have grandparents. I want Regina to see Henry again. She raised him. She's his mother as much as I am," Emma admitted and Killian kissed the edge of her head. She smiled. "But I'm scared, Killian. I don't want Gold to know about Liam, I don't want-"

"Emma, Rumplestiltskin isn't going to do anything to our baby. I won't let him," Killian vowed to her and Emma nodded.

"I know, but it's not as simple as that, Killian. He makes deals. And he won't be happy that I've had a baby with you, that I've chosen you over Neal. And I'm the product of True Love. He'll be interested in the baby, like he's interested in Henry. And it's not just Gold! It's all of them, all the people that are fighting my parents, that I have to fight because I'm the saviour. They will try to hurt Liam, they will try to hurt Henry because of me. And we're safe here. That shit doesn't happen here," she hissed. "I'm just Emma here, not the saviour." She looked down at her baby's eyes, the same as Killian's.

"You're just Emma to me, Swan" Killian told her. "We are going to protect Liam with every fibre of our beings. We know that, you know that, and Liam knows that. We're going to go to Storybrooke and we are going to save your parents, and we are going to protect our family," he explained fiercely. Emma nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

XXX

It was a long car journey. They were followed by a moving van for the first part of the journey, until they stopped. The moving van was going to put their things in a storage facility not too far outside of Storybrooke and they could retrieve their things when they needed them. They broke apart from the moving van when they stopped to allow Emma to feed Liam. She was, obviously, driving and didn't have the ability to feed her son while she was, so they stopped whenever he needed feeding or changing and it gave them a break.

It took hours, but they did finally arrive in Storybrooke. It was dark. Henry was asleep in the car. They parked up outside of the apartment where her family lived, where she lived. "I'll see you in awhile. Look after Henry. Make sure nobody talks to him. If he wakes up, tell him I've gone to meet my parents and I'll be back soon." Killian kissed her quickly.

"Good luck, Swan. I'll be right here," he assured her and Emma nodded.

She climbed the stairs slowly. She had no idea what to expect. She knew they might not remember her but she needed to try. She reached the apartment and swallowed. She knocked on the door, looking behind her. She could turn around, get back in the car, go back to New York and carry on with that life. She could take Killian with her and she would be with her sons. She wouldn't have to share them.

The door opened and Emma's heart skipped a beat. In front of her, looking exactly as he had when she'd left them behind, was David. "Hi."

He looked shell-shocked and she was scared that he was going to close the door in her face. "Don't close the door," she asked him. "I- I- my name is-"

He interrupted her, "Emma."

At that moment, Emma knew what she'd been missing the last year. "David?" she said. He pulled her into a hug.

"You remember," he said incredulously.

"You remember," she repeated, pulling out of the hug.

"Of course. What- what are you doing here?" he asked her. "How-"

"Well, Hook found me. He brought me here. He said you were cursed!"

"Yeah, we're back. Or we never left, or- Well, we don't know but we're trapped again."

"But you know who you are?"

David ignored her question. "Emma, this curse – we don't know who did it or why," he said emphatically to her, as if she wasn't taking it seriously enough. Emma was just so grateful that he knew her, that Mary Margaret would know her now too. And Emma knew who did it, because Killian had told her. "All we know is our last year – it's been wiped away."

"Well, I can help you with that. Hook, he told me everything that happened this past year. He wasn't there for a lot of it, but he was at the beginning and Mary Margaret sent letters to him regularly. He- he told me she's pregnant?" Emma said, her voice wavering slightly.

David nodded and was going to talk again when said pregnant lady rushed down the stairs. "Careful!" Emma called with a grin.

"Emma," she said as Emma was pulled into another hug. "Are you okay? You remember? Emma, oh my darling," she sobbed, stroking the side of her face. "It's been a year?"

"Just over," Emma told them and they nodded.

"How did you get here? What happened? How did you know?" Mary Margaret asked her, dragging her over to the sofa.

"I- Hook arrived and it took a while but I got my memories back and then I organised everything. My things are in a storage unit just outside of Storybrooke and I'm going to look for a house. I- I have some similar news to this, though," Emma said, biting her lip and looking at Mary Margaret's stomach.

Both of their heads snapped up. "You're pregnant?" Mary Margaret asked incredulously. Emma shook her head, swallowing.

"I have-"

She was interrupted by Hook coming through the open door with Liam cradled in his arms. "I'm sorry, love, but he won't stop crying. Henry says that I should bring him to you. He reckons he's hungry," he apologised. Emma nodded and thanked him. "I'll go back to the-"

Emma shook her head and Killian stayed where he was. "This is my baby," Emma said, taking her son from Killian.

"Oh, Emma," Mary Margaret said, "he's beautiful."

Emma smiled proudly. "I need to feed him. Do you mind?" she asked tentatively and Mary Margaret shook her head. Emma had got used to breastfeeding basically anywhere. She watched David look at Killian.

"Maybe you should go to the bedroom, Emma," David said and Emma realised that they hadn't realised that Killian was Liam's father. Emma ignored her father and organised Liam to her breast.

"How old is he?" Mary Margaret asked, coming to sit next to her and touching his tiny little toes.

"About three months," Emma responded, staring down at her baby.

"And what's his name?" the other woman questioned and Emma grinned.

"Liam," she told them. "Liam Henry." She heard David's sharp intake of breath and she knew that he'd realised that Killian was the father.

"Oh, Emma, that's beautiful," she cooed. "Have you been to see Neal yet?"

Emma looked to her mother. "Neal? Why would I go and see Neal?" she asked her incredulously.

Mary Margaret gave her a funny look. "Is he not the father?"

"No," Emma said with a shake of her head.

"No," David repeated. "He is," he said, gesturing to Killian.

"Hook?"

"Yes," Emma said.

"But I thought-"

"I know that's what you thought but it was never going to be me and Neal. He abandoned me. He left me all those years ago, and no matter what his reason was I'm never going to be able to forget that," Emma told them. "On my last night here, I didn't go looking for Neal. I went looking for Killian," she told them. She didn't dare look at Killian. She didn't know how he would be feeling about this. She knew that he'd been close to her parents in the year they'd lost and they'd moved on in their judgement of him as just a pirate and now he was back to square one. She wondered how he felt about that.

"And then you were pregnant," David said flatly. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Killian tense.

Emma nodded. "All year, I've been wondering how on earth I was pregnant. I was convinced I'd been drugged and raped. It was the only explanation because I didn't remember anything that could have caused my pregnancy," Emma explained awkwardly, the thought of saying the word "sex" in front of her parents abhorrent to her. "Hook arrived and he had a potion and he gave it to me-"

"After some convincing," Hook added in.

She sent him an exasperated look and he smirked at her. "Yes, well I wasn't going to drink a potion that some stranger had given me, was I? But I drank his stupid potion eventually and then I remembered and I introduced Ki- Hook to Liam," Emma continued.

"And now you're here. Oh Emma, I am so glad to see you," Mary Margaret gushed. Emma smiled, looking down at her son as he suckled on her breast. "And we're so excited to get to know our new grandson, even if he will have an uncle who's younger than him," she laughed. Emma chuckled and reorganised her son as he pulled away. She moved her top up to cover herself and then her face straightened.

"We need to discuss Zelena," she said.

XXX

That night, Emma took Henry to his bed, after explaining to her parents that he didn't remember them at all. She asked her parents if she could borrow the cot they had for their baby and placed her baby in there, smiling as he wriggled into a comfortable position. Then, she walked back down to the living room. David was looking at Hook with some suspicion and Emma was so ready for it to be over, for them to get on.

Mary Margaret pulled herself up, with David's assistance, and announced that she was ready for bed. "David will get you a duvet for the couch, Hook," Mary Margaret said, almost fondly. Emma stiffened. She would prefer Killian to be in bed with her, if she was honest, near to their baby, so they could protect him together.

"That's okay. We should be okay," Emma stated with what felt like a confident smile. David scowled.

"Emma-"

"I'm thirty years old," she said tersely, "and I am going to sleep in a bed with the father of my baby. If you make him sleep on the couch, he'll just come upstairs when you're asleep." Hook's nod confirmed that.

David turned around and strode over to where their bed was. Emma rolled her eyes and led Hook upstairs.

XXX

"Well, I must say," David started as he joined Emma and Hook in the kitchen, "you certainly look the part of new parents," he chuckled.

Emma and Hook were both exhausted, due to Liam's lack of ability to go to sleep. Liam, now, sat, looking chirpy, in Hook's arm.

"I wanted to apologise," David started, "for the way I reacted about Liam yesterday. He's my grandson and I'm going to love him just as much as I love Henry even-"

"Even if he's the bastard son of a pirate?" Hook finished flatly.

"Hook!" Emma admonished, gesturing to their son in his arms.

Hook rolled his eyes at his son, who gurgled at him. "Sorry, Swan," Hook said to her with a wink.

"I don't care who fathered him," David interrupted. "I care that you're not going to abandon her, Hook."

"Well, I'm not, so that sorts that out, doesn't it?" Hook said with a tight smile. "Now, Charming, if you're quite-"

"Hook, stop," Emma said quietly. David looked between the two of them. Emma's hand lay on Hook's arm. David knew that Hook was irritated at his assumptions but, given their past, David felt that he had to be harsh. He had to know that Hook wasn't going to up and leave his daughter.

"Look-"

"No, David. I trust him, and that should be good enough for you," Emma stated, her anger clearly flared. David sighed and mentally acquiesced. She was right. He trusted her judgment. What he didn't trust was Hook, but he'd keep his eye on that.

"Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret said, entering the room and looking between David and the small family.

David smiled and looked at Hook, whose jaw clenched. "Everything's fine," he informed her and greeted her with a kiss. "Breakfast?"

"Yes, please," she replied, giving her husband an odd look. As she sat down, the final member of their family joined them. Henry walked into the kitchen so unsurely that David felt his heart break a little bit. "Hey, Henry, come sit down," his wife encouraged. The boy sat down by his mother, who greeted him with a kiss on the head.

"What can I get you, Henry?" David asked his grandson, standing up to grab him some cereal. He picked up the cereal that he knew that Henry liked and Henry gave him an odd look. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Good guess," she saved with a laugh.

"So, are you going to find your parents today?" Henry asked his mother and every person at the table froze. How were they going to wriggle out of this one?

"Erm- I-" Emma stuttered.

"Coz Killian said he'd found them, right?" Henry questioned, turning to Hook, whose eyes widened in something akin to fear. David nearly smirked.

"Erm- I-"

"We actually know Emma's parents," David interrupted. "They've gone on holiday for a few weeks. Your mom turned up at just the wrong time," he said with a fake sigh. Emma sent him thankful eyes.

"Really? How well do you know them? What are their names?" Henry asked eagerly.

"Their names? Oh, James," David started and then his mind froze. James and… "and Abigail," he finished. His wife sent him a death look and David didn't react.

"James and Abigail? Cool," Henry declared, turning back to his cereal.

XXX

"So, what's the plan today, Swan?" Killian asked quietly as Henry sat watching television.

"I'm going to go and see Regina. You're going to look after my sons," she told him with a smile. Killian gave her a smile. Not an awful prospect. "I shouldn't be too long with her, but I'll feed Liam before we go and you can call me if he needs feeding again, okay?"

"On my talking phone?" Killian checked, referring to the contraption Emma had purchased for him a few days prior. Emma rolled her eyes in what Killian thought may have been a fond way.

"Yes, Hook, on your phone," she said patronisingly. Killian smirked and leaned over to kiss the smugness from her face.

"Ew, do you have to?" they heard Henry complain.

"I second that." Bloody hell. Of course it was her father. Killian pulled away from Emma with a sigh. She gave him a smile to hide her laugh. Henry sat down beside them on the couch.

"I'll come with you, Emma, to see Regina," David offered and Emma nodded agreeably. "Mary Margaret can watch the boys." Killian rolled his eyes.

"The boys are going to be with Killian," Emma said simply, "but I'm sure Mary Margaret would be welcome."

"Of course," Killian agreed. David gave him a tight smile, to which Killian narrowed his eyes.

"Right, well, I'm going to go and get dressed," Emma said, transferring the baby into Hook's arms. "Then, David, we'll head to Regina's."

Killian brought his son close to his shoulder and breathed in the smell of baby. He'd never expected babies to have this sort of smell, but, before his own baby, he'd never held a baby. Resting his stump on the couch beside him, he wondered what it would be like to hold his son with two hands.

"Hey, Liam," Henry encouraged, touching his tiny fingers. Killian smiled at the two boys.

"David, you should get dressed too. Hook and I will be fine with the children," Emma's mother told her husband, kissing his cheek softly.

"Fine. Fine," David said, storming away to their bedroom. Mary Margaret chuckled and shared a smile with Killian.

XXX


	7. Chapter 7

"I'm hungry," Emma's mother complained. Killian glanced towards the clock. Emma and David had only left twenty minutes ago and they'd eaten breakfast just before that. "I'm pregnant, Hook. I can eat whenever I want."

Killian chuckled. "You shout Henry down and we'll go to Granny's."

Henry was more than up for a mid-morning excursion to the café, so they left, two brothers, their grandmother and a pirate. Killian was pushing the pram and Mary Margaret was waddling along beside him. Henry was quiet. Killian tried to make small talk but Henry didn't have much to say. Mary Margaret made up for it. She was speaking about work at the school and about David and about how excited she was for the baby and how she couldn't think of a name.

They arrived at Granny's and chose a table, leaving Henry with the baby while they ordered. "Love," Killian said, interrupting Mary Margaret's order with a hand on her arm, "order me some of those flat cakes with the syrup. I'm going to call Swan and tell her where we are, so she doesn't worry herself." Mary Margaret nodded and turned back to Granny.

Killian sneaked off to the back of the café, glancing at Henry and Liam. Henry was chatting away to Liam, so he was clearly just uncomfortable around Killian and his grandmother. Killian couldn't blame him.

He pulled out his talking phone and did the one thing he knew how to do: call Emma. She picked up after five of those irritating ringing sounds. "Hey, Hook," she greeted. "What's up?"

"Swan," he returned with a grin, turning away from the café and looking at the odd music-playing machine in front of him. "Everyone's fine. Your mother was hungry, so I brought her to Granny's. I just thought I'd let you know before you worried your little mind about it when you returned to the flat."

He could almost hear her eyebrows raise. "Little mind?" he could hear in her voice that she wasn't annoyed. He leaned against the wall and grinned. "I'll give you a little of my mind, Hook."

"Is that what you'd call what we did the other night?" he teased. She paused.

"My father is right there," she said very quietly and Hook chuckled, turning quickly to see how his son fared.

"Bollocks," he replied when he saw who was sitting with his son and Henry.

"What?" Emma replied. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"No cause for alarm, love, just Baelfire talking to your oldest son. Bye, talk to you later," he said quickly, hanging up the phone and dashing back to the table.

XXX

"Oh, and a set of pancakes for Hook, with maple syrup," Mary Margaret added. Granny nodded.

"Ruby will bring them over. You go sit yourself down."

As Mary Margaret dragged herself over to the table where her two beautiful grandsons were with food on her mind, she was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Mary Margaret!" he cried and Mary Margaret span around to him.

"Neal," she replied measuredly. This couldn't be good. She didn't want to do anything that would upset Emma. "How are you?"

"Is that Henry?" he replied. Mary Margaret shushed him.

"Henry doesn't remember," she said hurriedly. "You can meet him. I'll tell him you're an old friend of his mother's." Neal's face was aghast and Mary Margaret said, "you don't have a choice. It's this or nothing."

Neal nodded. "Who's the baby?" he asked, but he'd already walked away when Mary Margaret opened her mouth to answer.

Mary Margaret followed him at as fast a pace as she could manage, carrying a full sized baby as she was. When she sat down opposite him, he'd introduced himself just as Mary Margaret had instructed him to. "You knew my mom?" Henry was saying.

"Who's this fella?" Neal replied. He was good at answering a question with another question. He was looking at the baby in the pram at the end of the table, gurgling.

Henry shrugged. "My brother."

Neal's eyes bugged out of his head. Mary Margaret almost giggled out loud. "Your brother? How old is he?"

"Erm, three months."

"Your mom has a boyfriend?"

Mary Margaret didn't like Neal's line of questioning.

"Nah, not a boyfriend according to her. Although he is living with us at the moment, so I don't know."

So Hook really was living with them. Nice of Emma to keep them informed.

"What's his name?" Neal said, nodding at the baby. Henry wasn't looking.

"Liam's dad? Killian."

All colour paled from Neal's face. And just at that moment, Hook slid onto the bench beside Mary Margaret and opposite Neal. He shot Mary Margaret an alarmed look. "What are we talking about here then?"

"You got Emma pregnant?"

Hook froze. Mary Margaret looked at Henry who was looking between the two of them in confusion. "You two know each other?"

"No."

"Yes."

Hook and Neal answered simultaneously. Hook glared at Neal. "Well, we knew each other once," Killian brushed off. "A long time ago."

At that moment, Liam began to cry. Mary Margaret was almost grateful for the distraction. Hook turned to his son immediately and picked him up, cradling him to his chest. "Do you want some food, little man?" He cooed. Neal looked heartbroken.

"Do you want me to call Mom, Killian?" Henry asked. Hook nodded.

"Though I've a feeling she's already on her way."

While they waited for Emma, the four of them sat in silence. Ruby brought their food and left immediately. Fair enough really. The baby made a lot of noise. Hook tried sniffing Liam to see if his diaper needed changing and, at Mary Margaret's insistence, tried to burp him, although she did have to explain how to do that. It was clear he just wanted his mother and food.

She arrived pretty quickly, followed by David, whom Mary Margaret ordered to her side immediately with her eyes. He scurried over, while Emma ordered a hot cocoa quickly. "What's going on?" he whispered in her ear. Mary Margaret turned slightly and glared at him, nodding her head at Neal. He chuckled, reaching down and stealing some of her toastie. Mary Margaret slapped his hand away.

"Neal," Emma greeted when she arrived at the table, forcing Mary Margaret and Hook to squeeze along on the bench so she could fit. Taking her baby in her arms, she cooed, "What's wrong, baby boy? Is Daddy not looking after you right?" Hook scoffed and Emma grinned at him.

There was that spark again. Every time Mary Margaret watched her daughter with this pirate, she could see her falling deeper and deeper in love. She doubted her Emma had admitted it to herself yet. Mary Margaret had been so blind to Emma's feelings, although not to Hook's. As if she had ever considered that Emma would return to Neal, after all he did to her. Looking back, she was unsure why she ever thought her daughter would go back to a man who had left her. Clearly the idea was just too romantic for Mary Margaret to set aside. But her daughter was closed off to anyone, never mind a man who had left her.

Looking across the table to Neal, she saw that he was staring openly at Emma, who was feeding her baby. Henry was giving him none-too-favourable looks. "So, Neal, where are you living at the moment?" she asked curiously. Hook looked up from the food he had begun to eat now that his one good hand was free to use.

"Oh, in one of the new developments, by the lake," Neal replied and Snow looked at him in interest. Clearly more people had come across this time and new houses were necessary. A lake was interesting, though.

"What are the houses like?" Emma asked, as she dipped her little finger into Hook's maple syrup and tasting it. "Hmm, maple syrup," she said, before Neal replied. Hook gave her a fairly disgusted look. "Cut me some up?" she requested. Rolling his eyes, Hook did so straight away, sectioning off a portion for her. "So, the houses," Emma said, returning her attention to Neal's and using both arms to keep her son balanced on her breast.

Neal nodded a bit cautiously. He clearly wasn't enjoying Emma and Hook's interactions. "They're nice. Mine has two bedrooms. Nice kitchen," he commented. Mary Margaret smiled. A man's response. "Are you guys staying in David and Mary Margaret's flat?" he asked, turning back to Henry.

Emma was eating the food from Hook's place with her fingers. "Will you use a fork, you heathen," he said quietly. Mary Margaret snorted, looking up at David. He gave her a scowl and she grinned up at him. Hook was growing on her but clearly not on David.

"I'm feeding our son," Emma hissed back. "Let me eat how I want to eat." She continued until the piece were gone and then picked up an entire pancake to eat.

"Oh, come on," Hook cried out. "Stop eating my food. Go and get your own."

Mary Margaret watched as Neal looked up from his conversation with Henry to regard Emma and Hook's 'argument'. "I'm feeding our son," Emma replied, mouthful of food.

"Then, wait until you're done and go and get some more," Hook replied, yanking the plate away from her.

Emma raised her eyebrows and looked down at her son, clearly looking for sympathy there. "Do I need to remind you that I just had your baby?" Mary Margaret thought that was a good move actually, to access the food.

Hook scoffed, finishing off another pancake. "The lad is three months old."

"And I had to give birth on my own," Emma said, pouting. David nudged Mary Margaret's shoulder and she looked up with a grin. He raised his eyebrows and nodded between her and Emma. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at the implication that Emma was the same as her, had the same tricks. And then Emma added the killing blow, "again."

Killian flinched and began to cut up the remaining pancakes. Emma let out an evil giggle, cuddling Liam to her breast. "See, baby boy, I always win."

The look on Neal's face made Mary Margaret's heart clench. His face had completely crumpled. He was looking between Emma and Hook, both completely wrapped up in the other. Mary Margaret looked up to David, who shot her an anxious look. She laid her hands on her stomach and made eye contact with Henry, who gave her a panicked look.

"Emma," Mary Margaret said suddenly, just as she finished feeding her son and reorganised her clothing.

"Yeah," Emma replied, placing her son back in his pram.

"What are you going to do today?" she asked and heard David stifle a laugh behind her. Mary Margaret almost crumpled herself. She was the worst at starting fake conversations.

Emma shot her a funny look. Mary Margaret noticed that Hook's handless arm was resting on the back of the bench, behind Emma's back. She wondered when Neal had noticed it. Mary Margaret caught Emma's funny look and redirected it towards Neal. Emma's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah, well, I- erm, we don't really have any plans, do we, kid?"

Henry shook his head. "I should be at school," he muttered. Mary Margaret smiled, looking down at her baby belly. Henry was finally coming into teenage moodiness. "When did you say Mom's parents got back into town?"

Emma laughed. "Oh! I know what we're doing today. My old friend Regina was desperate to meet you, Henry."

Henry groaned and Mary Margaret snorted. "Probably the right reaction," David muttered. "Anyway, I should probably get my lovely wife home." Mary Margaret was thankful for David's intervention. She didn't want to end up in another awkward silence with Neal.

"Yeah, we should probably go too," Emma said, nodding at Killian. "Liam probably needs a nap." Emma stood and then Killian slid out from the bench and offered a hand to Mary Margaret, who smiled gratefully. "It was nice seeing you, Neal," Emma said, gesturing to Henry to come.

Just as they turned to go and everyone was standing, no one left at the table, Neal finally spoke up. "You had a kid with him?"

Emma froze.

Mary Margaret was glad she was leaning on David. Her eyes bugged out of her head and she jerked forward and then back into David's arms.

"Neal," Emma sighed. Mary Margaret knew she should leave but she really wanted to see how this played out. And she was pregnant so she got what she wanted. "Do you really wanna do this now?"

"You had a kid with him and named him after his brother."

"That's why you chose Liam?" Henry piped up. This wasn't new information to Snow. David had informed her of it the night before.

Emma shrugged it off. "Happy coincidence."

Mary Margaret turned to Hook and found him looking exceedingly awkward, hovering by the door with the pram. There really was nothing to be said in this situation to improve it. "Henry," Mary Margaret said, "I really want some ice cream and there's a great ice cream parlour down the way. Come and help me choose one and David will get one for both of us."

Even moody teenagers like ice cream it seemed. "Hoo- Killian, are you coming?" she said with bugged eyes. Without words, he agreed immediately, leading the little troupe out of the door.

XXX

Emma was grateful when Mary Margaret took away Henry and Liam. And Killian. She didn't want Killian to listen to this conversation and it would only make things more complicated for Henry.

"Look, Neal, I don't want to have this conversation. You are Henry's dad and I will never take that away from you. As soon as we can, we're going to help him to remember-"

Neal scoffed. "We? Who's that? You and Hook?"

"You are acting like a child. You abandoned me. What did you expect? Did you expect us to live happily ever after, ride off into the sunset?" Neal shook his head and Emma felt irritation rise inside her. "Then what?"

"I wanted you to give it a chance!" he replied. Emma sighed and looked at the ceiling.

"Why would I do that, Neal? When I'd been abandoned by dozens of foster parents and families, you abandoned me too. I'm never going to forget that."

"And what? Hook is so much better than that? He abandoned me-"

"Oh, you know what, Neal, I don't care! I don't want to know anything about your stupid past with Hook. He can tell me himself. We have a baby-"

"So do we!"

"I had to give birth to our son in jail!" Emma was shouting now. All the diner could hear her and she didn't care. "He didn't choose to leave me!"

"Emma, I-"

"Look, Neal, I can't be arsed with this. Killian and I have a baby, we have a connection and I'm gonna follow that. I trust him."

"Give me one more chance, Ems," he begged and Emma just felt pity, no affection. She shook her head.

"I'm going to go and have ice cream with my family, Neal. Please, leave this."

"This isn't over."

Emma left anyway, fed up of his jealousy and bitterness.

XXX

When Emma reached the ice cream parlour, she smiled at the lady at the counter, ordering a vanilla and salted caramel ice cream sundae, before sitting with her family, squeezing next to Killian. Her skin set alight where their legs sat alongside each other. None of them asked her how it had gone and she was grateful. Killian took her hand in his and lay them both on his lap, leaving Emma with full capacity to steal his chocolate ice cream.

"Oi, this is ridiculous, Swan," he squawked. Emma giggled and Liam, eagerly watching in Killian's other arm, smiled toothlessly. Killian grinned at him. "It's alright, isn't it, Liam? We'll just steal Mumma's ice cream when it arrives."

"Just try," Emma said, taking another spoonful of his. Killian scoffed.

"Try and stop me, love."

And that was when they had a visitor. The only other person in the shop approached as she left. Her long ginger hair pulled Emma's attention immediately. She was tall and fair and had a big smile, Emma saw when she looked up, away from where Hook was batting her away from his ice cream. "Hello, sorry for disturbing you," she said. Her voice was sweet, soothing, although with an undertone of nerves. "I'm new to town, came over with the new curse. I just- well, I noticed you were pregnant, dear," the woman said and she was speaking to Mary Margaret. Emma grinned at her mother. It was fairly obvious. "I was a midwife, in the Enchanted Forest, and I don't really have anything to do here, so I was wondering-"

"I would love a midwife," Mary Margaret burst. "Last time I gave birth the first curse was coming and I don't really know how to do it properly without that looming over me."

"Oh, well, this time should be less stressful," the lady joked. Emma laughed, a bit of jealousy burning in her stomach. Looking between Henry and Liam and comparing her feelings for both, Emma told herself that she was being ridiculous. Her mother would love her even if she had three or four or seven more babies. "I'm Olive, by the way. Maybe we could make an appointment. I could come to your home?"

Mary Margaret and Olive organised a meeting and Olive vacated the premises. "What a nice lady," Mary Margaret said with a smile, her hands resting on her large baby belly. David squeezed her hand.

XXX

Emma found herself back with Regina an hour later, Henry in tow. Killian was waiting for her at Granny's, where she was going to meet him later, either with Henry or without, depending on whether or not he wanted to stay with Regina.

She entered the office with Henry and found Regina not alone. Neal was there and they were having an angry conversation. Emma cleared her throat, squeezing Henry's shoulder. Regina and Neal both looked over simultaneously, plastering smiles on their faces for Henry. "Henry!" Regina cried and then stopped herself. Emma shook her head. "I mean, you are Henry, right?" she said a little less enthusiastically. Henry nodded.

"You're my mom's friend?" he checked, heading over to shake her hand. Emma was receiving some dirty looks from Neal.

"Of a sort," Regina replied to Henry, before turning back to Emma. "So, Emma, I heard you had a baby with the pir- with Killian?" Emma gave Regina a long-suffering look and Regina chuckled. "Henry, I have a collection of really old maps next door. Do you want to see them?" Henry actually looked enthused at the prospect, so Emma nodded and the pair went off.

Leaving Emma with Neal.

"Emma-"

"We've just done this, Neal. I don't want to do this again."

"When did it start? Just tell me that, Emma," he pleaded and Emma gave in. It really was fair that she gave him some details, to settle him.

"The night before the curse came. I went to him."

Neal nodded. "So, not in Neverland." Emma shook her head. "And he's your what? Your boyfriend now?" He doesn't let her speak before interrupting her again. "Do you know what he is? Who he is? God, Emma, you don't know what a mistake you're making. He's evil! He's a bad guy. He ruined my life-"

"You ruined mine!"

Neal shook his head angrily. Emma sighed. "And that's enough of an excuse it? I ruined your life so you get with the next guy you can find? God, Emma, it really doesn't take much for you to jump into bed with someone, does it?"

It turns out, it doesn't take much for Emma to punch Neal in the face. "You and him belong together," Neal spat, clutching his face. "See you around, Ems."

With that, he left. Emma let out a sigh. She was gonna hear about that punch forever. Every time she saw Neal for the rest of her life probably, which was unfortunately a lot. As he was Henry's father. Unfortunately.

Emma wandered along into the room where Regina was showing Henry the maps. She leaned on the doorframe and smiled, watching Henry interact with his adoptive mom. While Henry was engaged in looking at one particular map, Regina came to stand by Emma. "So, you and Hook hooked up?" she whispered with an evil giggle. Emma glared. "I bet he's good in bed," she said and Emma couldn't refute that, so she smirked. "I can't believe you have a baby. I can't believe your baby daddy is Captain Hook."

She was cackling a bit loudly for Emma's liking and Emma didn't really want to talk about what she had with Hook, so she turned to Regina and requested they discuss Zelena instead. Regina rolled her eyes. "How dull. I'd much rather discuss little Liam. How sad. You mustn't have even remembered your little relationship."

"Yeah, thanks for giving me a sex life, by the way," Emma said, turning and raising her eyebrows at Regina, arms crossed. Regina snorted.

"Sorry," she said unapologetically.

XXX

Henry and Emma returned to Granny's a little while later, after sharing a tea with Regina. They both ordered yet another hot cocoa with cinnamon. "I guess I'll have to get this little lad onto the rum, since you two both like that liquid sugar so much," Hook jested, referring to the crying baby as Emma joined them. Emma took her baby from him and sorted herself out to feed him.

"So, what shall we do this afternoon?" Henry asked. Emma looked to Killian who shrugged.

"Well, I don't want to spend all day in my parents' apartment. Maybe we should look at getting a place."

"Why?" Henry replied. "You said we were just coming to see but you've sold the apartment in New York and your business and brought all our stuff here. What is so special about this place? I get you want to meet your mom and dad, so do I, but I loved it in New York. We don't even know your parents want you! They might turn up and abandon you just like they did when you were a baby!"

When Henry was finished with his little rant and Emma was crying, he stormed out of the diner, leaving Emma with a baby at her breast and a pirate looking between the door and Emma.

He kissed her temple. "I'll go and talk to him." Emma nodded with a sob.

XXX

Killian found Emma's lad outside Granny's, just down the road, sat on a bench, crying. When Killian sat down, he angrily wiped the tears from his face. "What do you want?" the boy said sullenly. Killian smiled.

"Just a chat, lad. Your mom is pretty upset."

Henry nodded. "I know. I shouldn't have said that stuff about her parents. I'll tell her I'm sorry in a bit."

"Thanks, lad. You know why she wants to move here, don't you?"

Henry shook his head. "We only moved from Boston a year ago. I don't get why we have to move again. New York's great."

Killian shrugged. "It's alright. It's no Storybrooke," he said with a jesting tone. Henry didn't appreciate it. Killian cleared his throat and leaned into Henry a bit. "Look, Henry, your mom, she just wants a big family around you. Can't you imagine how great it would be if your dad turned up now and you could be a family with him? I know, when I was your age, I'd have loved that."

Henry furrowed his brow and looked up at Killian. "Your dad abandoned you?"

Killian nodded. "Me and my brother. All I wanted was to be a family. Don't you see? Your mom has that choice now. Lad, I know it's hard, and I'm not telling you what to do, but you need to think about it, before you decide you never want to live here." Henry nodded and Killian squeezed his shoulder. "I'm gonna go and check on your mom and the little lad. You come in when you're ready, okay?" Henry nodded, his eyes back on his lap instead of Killian.

Killian returned to Emma and found her dry-eyed but sad, cradling their son against her chest and whispering to him. "Hey, love," Killian greeted, sidling alongside her. "I spoke with the lad. He'll probably rejoin us in a few minutes. I wanted to talk to you first, though."

"Hmm," Emma said, looking up at him.

Killian cleared his throat. "Well, you said that maybe we should 'get a place' and I was wondering what you, ah, meant by, ah, we." Killian said this all very slowly and Emma turned to him slowly too. She smiled at him and then kissed him softly, before pulling away. Killian blushed, looking around them.

"Are you blushing?" Emma asked, giggling. "Kissing you in public was all I had to do to make you blush. If only I'd known."

"Swan," he said, looking ahead and not at her.

"Killian," she said, "you know I- well, I want Liam to have a really great normal childhood, what me and you and even Henry was robbed of. I want him to have a mom and a dad. I want you to live with us but if you don't want to-"

"I want to."

Emma's cheeks pinked. "I- okay- well, the thing is, I don't want this, us, to become complicated."

"You're right. It's so simple right now."

Emma gave him a look that made him aware that his jest was not appreciated. His lips twitched. "It's gonna be hard but I think we could make it work-"

Killian cut her off with a searing kiss. "We're going to ensure it works," he said to her. "We're going to ensure we work, our relationship." Emma hit him on the shoulder and he snickered, rolling his eyes at their baby.

"Mom," Henry's voice interrupted them. Killian and Emma looked up at the lad. "Mom, I'm sorry. I think we should give this place a chance." Killian watched Emma's smile light up the whole room.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma waved Henry off at the school gates that first day of school, a week after Henry decided to stay in Storybrooke for awhile. Hook was home with the baby, who was nearing four months old. A few days ago, he had laughed for the first time and Emma had nearly given in, after four days of not being in a relationship with Killian.

He had freaked her out a bit with the word relationship, although he’d been joking because he knew this would be her reaction to the word. But they were in a relationship. She was beginning to rely on him and she never wanted to rely on anyone again. People left. And what was stopping Hook from getting on his ship and sailing away?

Nothing.

Or from continuing his revenge against Rumplestiltskin and dying or getting locked up or being cursed or whatever magic wanted to do?

Nothing.

The fear was too great. Emma didn’t want to get all cosy with Killian, into a relationship, and then fuck it all up. It wasn’t fair to Henry and Liam. If it was just her, maybe it would be different. But it wasn’t and she had to prioritise her sons.

So, rather than go house shopping like they’d planned, Emma had fobbed Killian off by saying she wanted to spend a bit more time with her parents, even though the housing situation was becoming more and more awkward. Four adults, a teenager and a baby in one loft was too much.

Emma knew she needed to go and look at the house she’d seen pictures of. She just didn’t know what to do. She wanted Killian to live with them. God, she wanted to live with him. She wanted to be around him all the time. She wanted to watch him with their son all the time. She wanted to carry on watching as he got closer to Henry. She wanted them to grow together and make a relationship.

She did. She wanted a relationship.

But her head was screaming that it always went wrong. She’d had so many failed relationships, so many times she’d thought this guy would be right and he never was. What made it right this time?

She was so scared he would get bored and leave. He was a pirate. He never stayed in one place for a long time. She was going to bore him and he would leave. He would stop loving her.

Emma loved that he loved her. It made her feel warm inside. She didn’t love him, not yet. But she knew it was a possibility. That possibility was what terrified her. If she knew she could live with him, be with him, and remain in control, she wouldn’t be so scared of him leaving.

Emma left the school to return to her son and Killian with a heavy heart and no idea of the right thing to do.

XXX

Killian had spent the day at the docks, on business for David and the sheriff's office. He was just grateful to get out of the house, as much as he didn’t like being away from his lad and his Swan. The problem was that his Swan was being very odd. He knew what was wrong with her. After all the excitement of him returning to be Liam’s father and returning to Storybrooke, she had finally been given enough time to realise that this was real and now she was scared.

Killian understood. When he’d first realised he was in love with her, he’d not wanted to stick around. His first instinct was to run away, to get the Jolly and leave and bury himself in piracy until the feelings disappeared. His second instinct was never to let her go. With Killian, his second instinct was generally the right one, after so many years of mistakes and villainy.

The first few days of Emma’s weirdness, Killian had tried to make her speak to him. After that, he’d given up. There was nothing he could say. She was stubborn as they came and she had to figure it out herself. Killian was just trying to trust that she would figure it out, that she wouldn’t take his lad and Henry and go back to New York.

The thought of living with her, of being with her and Liam and Henry and being a family had been too good to be true. Killian knew it the second she told him about it.

He didn’t blame her. Her life had been so hard and she’d never been able to trust anyone. And, when she did trust someone, they let her down. Like Baelfire had. Killian understood, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He just wanted to be with her.

Killian arrived outside the school gates at just past three, going by his consultation of the sun and shadows. Henry would finish soon. Although he knew Henry could get home on his own, Killian wanted to spend some time with him. He was going to be a permanent fixture in his life, just as soon as Emma got over her fear of him leaving. And the only way he could get her over that was to prove it.

Henry was surprised to see him, a few minutes later. He was talking to another lad, who Killian greeted with a shake of his hand. Henry looked a bit embarrassed by him, so Killian guessed shaking hands wasn’t so much of a thing here. The lad introduced himself as Conrad and Killian told him it was a pleasure to meet him. Conrad left and Henry asked Killian what he was doing there.

“I thought I’d take you out for some after school ice cream. What do you think, lad?” Henry agreed easily, of course. Killian had only had ice cream a few times but he was a big fan, when Emma wasn’t stealing it from him.

“Where’s Mom and Liam?” Henry asked as they set off walking towards the ice cream parlour.

“At home. I thought you and I should acquaintance ourselves better.” Henry grinned and nodded. “So, what do you like to do?” 

Killian kept most of the questions light and focussed on Henry, asking for more details about his lessons and his “video” games. He would have to ask Emma or perhaps her father to clear that one up for him. He did not understand the concept. They reached the ice cream parlour and Henry convinced Killian to buy them each a ridiculous ice cream sundae.

“Your mum is going to kill me,” Killian chuckled as they took their seats in the booth. Henry laughed. “We’re not going to eat dinner.” Henry shrugged.

“I’m sure she won’t mind. We’re bonding, aren’t we?” Killian smiled and nodded. “What do you do?” the lad asked curiously. Killian had thought this one up earlier, while he’d been waiting outside the school.

“I’m a sailor, lad.”

Henry’s eyes lit up. “Cool! Do you have a boat?”

Killian’s heart clenched as he remembered the Jolly. He shook his head. “Not here, unfortunately.”

Henry’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, I was going to ask you to teach me to sail.” Killian let out a sigh. He would have loved to have taught Henry to sail. An idea struck him and a smirk grew on his face.

“I’ll figure something out, lad. Don’t you worry.”

Their sundaes arrived and they had a good laugh over the amount of sugar in them. “I bet you can’t finish that,” Killian taunted Swan’s son. Henry shook his head.

“I’ll eat more than you!” They both dug into the huge amount of ice cream and caramel and sprinkles. “Killian,” Henry started slowly a few minutes later. “What’s going on with you and my mom?”

Killian’s smile faltered. “What do you mean, lad?” Henry shrugged. “No, tell me. You can tell me anything.”

Henry looked uncomfortable, so Killian didn’t press him anymore. He started to speak for himself, though. “I just- at the beginning of us being here, you were so close and like a couple and now, you don’t seem to be and I’m just - are you going to leave?”

Bloody hell, fears really spread from mother to child.

Killian shook his head. “Henry, I promise you I am never going to leave. I love Liam and I love your mum and I love you. You’re my family now.” Henry nodded, still staring at the table. “Me and your mum have to work some things out, okay, Henry? But I am going to try my hardest to make it good again, I promise you.”

Henry took him at his word and perked up a bit, beginning to ask him lots of sailing questions.

XXX

“Where’s Hook?” Emma asked her father when he returned from work, without Hook whom he had left with that morning.

“Hi, Emma. Nice to see you too,” her father said, opening the fridge and taking a bottle of water out. Emma rolled her eyes. “Hook went to pick Henry up from school. Said something about bonding with him.” Emma didn’t know what to say about that. “Is Liam asleep?” Emma nodded, returning to the living room and sitting down on the sofa.

Her father entered the room a moment later, sitting down next to her and sighing. Emma groaned. “Is this going to be a lecture?” she groused. David gave her a look and she sighed. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“What’s going on with Hook?” he asked.

Emma bristled. “David, I know you don’t like him but-”

David shook his head. “That’s not why I’m asking. I’m not saying I do like him, but he’s not as bad as I thought.” Emma smiled at his reluctant tone. “You and Hook were so good together those first few days, but now you don’t speak to him. I know he’s still sleeping in your bed but, other than that, you don’t seem to want to spend any time with him. What’s going on, sweetheart?”

Annoyed that David was watching her so closely, Emma shook her head and shrugged. “It’s nothing. He’s not my boyfriend, is he? We just have a child together. It's no big deal.”

David sighed again, placing his hand on her arm. “Emma, stop. Explain it to me.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’m scared he’s going to leave. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she asked, bringing her legs up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her. David chuckled. “Oh, yes, it’s hilarious, isn't it?” she snapped. David shook his head.

“No, Emma. It’s not. It’s silly.”

Emma whirled her head round to look at him. “Neal left and he promised he’d never leave. What’s to say Killian won’t do the same?”

“He’s in love with you, Emma.” Emma shook his head. “He is.”

Emma let out an irritated sigh, half a groan really. “I know he is. I know he’s in love with me and I know that if I let myself, I could fall in love with him.”

David’s smile made Emma want to hit him. He leaned back against the sofa cushions. “Emma, that’s wonderful!”

“No, no,” Emma protested, standing up. “He’ll leave. What- what if he leaves?”

David reached for her hand and she batted him away. “Emma, he’s not going to leave.”

“How could you possibly know that?” she demanded. “You have no idea what he’s going to do! You don’t even know where he is right now. He could be about to leave right now.”

“Emma, sit down,” David said softly. Emma did so and David pulled her to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, little girl,” he said against her head. Emma swallowed heavily. “I’m so sorry that we left you here for you to become broken, for you to stop trusting.” Tears pricked behind Emma’s eyes and her throat burned. “You can’t close yourself off to love, Emma. You shut off all happiness when you do that.”

And, with that, Emma began to sob in her father’s arms. He held her while she cried, making soothing noises in her ears. She didn’t know what she was crying about. There were so many things. Killian, her parents, her whole childhood, what Neal did to her. But her dad was holding her and she could cry in his arms for as long as she needed. He would never leave her.

“Oh,” a voice said from the door and Emma looked up, finding Killian and Henry standing awkwardly at the door frame.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Henry asked, concern in his voice. Emma pulled away from David immediately, ignoring his groan of malcontent. Killian’s lips were parted and his brow was furrowed. Emma wiped her eyes as discreetly as she could and stood up.

“How was your first day, Henry?” she asked, ignoring the obvious sound of tears in her throat. Killian hadn’t moved. She didn’t want to know what was going on in his mind.

XXX

That evening, when Mary Margaret had returned from her final day at school before maternity leave, Emma and Killian found themselves packed off to the house viewing they had arranged a week ago. Emma had splashed water on her face but her eyes were still slightly red from crying and any makeup she had been wearing was gone.

“What do you think?” Emma said, looking up at the house in front of them. It was the most classic family house Emma had ever seen. It was just like the house she had dreamed of having when she was young and still dreamt of being adopted.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve properly spoken to me about something except Liam in a week,” was his reply. Emma sighed and opened the gate in front of the house, striding down the path and unlocking the black front door. “Emma,” Hook called after her. They stepped into the house together. Emma admired the white walls and the general lack of furniture. She’d always preferred having her own chosen furniture rather than somebody else’s design. “Emma,” Hook growled, slamming the door behind him.

“What?” Emma replied lightly, glancing at the bay window and large fireplace. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her round.

“What is going on, Swan?”

Emma ignored him and wandered the kitchen, listening to him behind her becoming more and more irritated. She wasn’t sure she could speak to him without crying like she had earlier. They made their way upstairs and Emma found the largest bedroom first, the bedroom that she wanted to share with Killian. It had a huge bay window with a balcony and a view over the lake. It had a fireplace. She could imagine a love seat in front of it, fire on, sitting between Killian’s legs.

She strode over to the window and looked out, admiring the lake. It was huge. Emma thought that they could store Killian’s boat there. “Where is your boat?” Emma asked quietly. She felt him come up and stand beside her.

“I don’t have it anymore,” he replied stiffly. Emma furrowed her brow and turned to him. His face was unreadable. With one last look out of the window, Emma went to discover the ensuite. He came in behind her to look at the large bath and separate shower cubicle. “Emma, I can’t cope with this,” he said softly. “I just need to know-”

“Know what,” Emma replied, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

“Whether you want to be with me,” he finished. Emma inhaled sharply and suddenly she realised that he couldn’t read her mind. She thought back over her behaviour in the past week. She had been so cruel.

“I want to be with you,” she said, turning around and striding back out into their bedroom.

Killian scoffed. “How?” he demanded, grabbing her hand before she could leave him again. Emma met his eyes and found love there. She squirmed away from him. “Emma, love, I thought we were somewhere good and now I feel like-”

“I want to be with you!” Emma said suddenly, loudly. “I want to be with you but I am so scared.” Her voice faded and she trained her eyes on the ground. He approached her, placing hand and hook on her hips.

“Emma,” he said softly. She looked up at him. “Tell me what you’re scared of. I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me.”

“I’m scared of you fixing it,” Emma replied. He shook his head and laughed at her. She allowed herself a smile. For the first time in a week, she felt comfortable, comforted in Killian’s presence. “I’ve not been in a relationship in years,” Emma confessed. “Every time I got close, I found an excuse and ran away. It’s just difficult for me to imagine a relationship that lasts forever.”

Killian nodded and kissed her forehead. Emma sighed softly. “It’s hard for me to imagine as well, love,” he told her and Emma felt comforted by their shared emotions. “But it’s harder for me to imagine a life without you.” Emma’s stomach clenched. She was silent while she imagined twenty years from now. She imagined being in this room, Killian’s hair starting to grey, all three other bedrooms filled, Henry at college. She imagined him with his arms around her, looking out of the bay window. She imagined making him dinner and drinking rum with him in front of the fire. Tears formed in her eyes.

“I don’t want to be apart from you anymore,” she said quietly. Killian kissed the tip of her nose.

“I am never going to leave you,” he swore. Emma could see the truth in his eyes but the doubt in her chest held her back.

“Neal said the same,” she told him. Killian shook his head.

“I am never going to leave you. I am in love with you. I don’t want to be with anyone else, ever again. I just want to be with you all the time.” Emma allowed a smile to grow on her face.

“All the time?” she teased. Killian chuckled.

“Every second.” Emma laughed, pressing the pads of her thumbs against the corner of her eyes. “Okay? I am never going to leave you,” he repeated again. Emma nodded. He linked his hand and hook behind her back and pulled her to him. “I am never going to leave you.” Emma grinned. He stepped back with her. “I am never going to leave you.” He stepped back again and Emma giggled. “I am never going to leave you,” he said one final time, before stepping back and having her against the wall. “Okay, Swan?” he confirmed.

“You are never going to leave me,” she said. He nodded, grinning. Emma loved the way his eyes lit up when he smiled. “Are you ever going to kiss me?” she asked with a giggle. He smirked and then did, bringing his hand up to brush against her cheek and his lips down against hers.

“I’m going to prove it, that I’m never going to leave you,” he said against her lips. Emma leaned forward, her chest against his.

“How are you going to do that?” she asked, a grin playing about her lips.

“Ask me in twenty years,” he replied before kissing her again.

XXX

An hour later, Emma sat in between Killian’s legs, leaning against the wall opposite the bay window, where Emma wanted to put their bed. “I still want to have sex this good in twenty years,” Emma said, arching her neck so she could plant a kiss on his shoulder. Killian chuckled.

“I promise we will.”

Emma grinned and turned around, straddling him and running her hands through his hair. “I’m excited to watch you go grey,” she admitted. Killian looked affronted.

“I’m not going to go grey.”

Emma snorted, pressing a kiss to his jawbone. “You are going to be just as dashing grey,” she promised him. Killian harrumphed and Emma giggled, adjusting her position so she was sitting more comfortably on his lap. “We should probably put an offer in on this place,” Emma laughed, “given that we’ve already christened our bedroom.”

“We’re going to have to visit some shops, Swan,” Killian said, looking around them. Emma nodded against his shoulder.

“It’ll be fun.” Emma thought about what she wanted and suddenly grinned.

“What?” Killian asked, brushing his thumb against her bottom lip.

“I was just thinking we could have a pirate theme in Liam’s room.”

“Not a prince’s theme?” Killian asked, arching an eyebrow. Emma shook her head.

“Why would I want a prince’s theme when being a pirate is so much cooler?” she said and Killian kissed her. “I’m going to grab my phone,” Emma said, shifting on his lap. “I want to make an offer on this place.”

Emma stood up, well aware of the fact that her arse was essentially in his face. “You do that, love, and then come back because I’m going to have you again.”

The surety in his tone made Emma grin over her shoulder, turning into a smirk when she looked between his legs. She blew him a kiss as she dialed the estate agent.

XXX

Returning to the house, hand in hand with her pirate boyfriend, Emma called out to her parents and Henry. Her mother came to her first, her huge pregnant belly leading. She smiled at the sight of Emma and Hook’s hands. “David,” she called. Emma’s father approached, holding her son. Emma let go of her boyfriend’s hand and took her son from her father.

“Hey, little man,” she cooed. His beautiful blue eyes, the twins of his father’s, stared back at her. Emma pressed a kiss to his forehead. “We’ve found us a house,” Emma told her son.

“You have?” Henry asked from the top of the stairs, before running down, ignoring Emma’s admonition. “What’s it like? How many bedrooms are there? Where is it?” 

Emma chuckled at Henry’s questions, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “We can go and see it tomorrow. The estate agent accepted our offer.”

Mary Margaret squealed and Emma grinned, meeting Killian’s eyes. “When can you move in?” Mary Margaret asked. Emma shrugged.

“We have to go and buy some furniture, so maybe in a week?” Emma suggested. “We go and pick the keys up tomorrow.”

“How exciting! Where are you going to buy furniture?” Mary Margaret asked.

“There’s an IKEA about an hour from here, so probably there. Can we borrow your truck, Mary Margaret?” Emma asked, ignoring the flinch on her mother’s face at the name. Mary Margaret agreed either way. “Fab, we’ll go tomorrow.” Emma steeled herself and turned to her parents. “I was thinking,” she started a bit awkwardly, a bit embarrassed at what she was going to ask. “I was thinking there’s a house about five minutes walk from our place. I was thinking you should go and look at it,” Emma blurted. Mary Margaret and David shared a look.

“You’ll miss us?” David teased. Emma rolled her eyes.

“I’d just like some easy babysitting,” she denied.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Mary Margaret said, coming to her side and kissing her on the cheek. “If you want your parents nearby, Emma, all you have to do is ask.”

Emma scowled. “Shut up.” She heard Killian snort from behind and she turned to smile at him. Her parents agreed to go and look at the house. “Perfect,” she declared.


	9. Chapter 9

“We could get this bed, Emma,” Killian enthused, sitting down on a tall four-poster and putting his feet up. Emma snorted. “I can just imagine fucking you on this,” he said as quietly as he could while Emma could still hear. He loved watching her go red. “Does that blush mean yes?”

“No,” she said, admonition in her tone. “Come on, Killian. Let’s find a bed that doesn’t look like a cage, yeah?” Killian rolled his eyes. They really were from different worlds.

She found one a few minutes later, dark wood and shaped like a sleigh. She lay down, looking around them before spreading her legs and then clamping them shut again. It was Killian’s turn to blush as he also looked around them. He laughed at her and then offered her his fake hand to pull her up. She was grinning. “Can you imagine fucking me on this one, pirate?” she asked, licking her lips.

“I can imagine fucking you right now,” he muttered. Emma giggled, taking his real hand and leading them to a board where she proceeded to copy some details down onto a small sheet of parchment. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“We have to write down everything we want and then we go and pick it up from the warehouse when we’re done.” Killian thought that was a rather odd system but he let it go. “Now, we need to find a bed for Henry.”

Finding Henry a bed was far less interesting as it didn’t involve a surface that Killian would ever fuck Emma on. They moved on from that to a wardrobe for them both and then a desk and living room furniture and a dining room table and a crib for Liam and a changing table. “Swan, do we not have everything yet?” Killian complained. Emma looked at him with annoyance.

“We’re building our house, Killian,” Emma replied. Killian’s face softened. “We still need a few bits, but we can come back. I’m not sure everything will fit on the truck as it is. Let’s go get everything and pay.”

They did make everything fit on the truck eventually, although it required some work and it had started raining part way through. In the front of the truck, soaked and happy, the two of them kissed softly. “We’re going to make a good life together, aren’t we, Swan?” Killian said. Emma’s smile lit him up inside.

It was two hours later that they arrived back at the house that they now had keys for: their house. They had stopped on the way to pick up Liam, who Killian knew would have been driving Emma’s parents and Henry insane, with his wailing for Emma’s breasts. Killian glanced at them himself. He sympathised with his son.

Having fed and burped and changed their son, Emma lay him down in his carrier, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Shall we start with his nursery?” Emma suggested. Killian furrowed his brow.

Liam outside in the hallway, Emma and Killian began to paint his nursery in the blue paint they had picked up at the store before IKEA. “This would be much easier if you would just use your magic,” Killian groused.

“I didn’t take you for being lazy, Jones,” Emma teased, looking over at him. Killian smirked. She looked so good today, in tight jeans and a woolly garment of some sort over the top half of her body.

Emma’s parents had offered to help with the house decorating, but Killian and Emma wanted to do it themselves, for it to be their little project, their house. As Killian started on the second wall of his son’s nursery, he regretted that choice. “Come on, Jones, hurry up,” Emma said. She had nearly finished her second wall. Killian groaned and Emma laughed. She was a slave driver.

It was all worth it in the end, Killian thought, when they’d finished. A room all for Liam, decorated by his parents who loved him. His son would know just how much they loved him when he looked around the room. Killian planted a kiss on Emma’s paint-splattered forehead.

They worked on the house until Liam began to cry, leaving them with a nursery that was decorated but only had a crib and a living room that had half a wall of wallpaper. Either way, it was a start. “I wish we could stay here tonight,” Killian said to Emma, who was tucked under his arm, holding their son in his carrier under her own arm. Emma pressed a kiss to his stubbled cheek.

“Me too, Killian.”

XXX

When they arrived back at the loft, they found Henry and David playing on Henry’s XBOX together, causing Emma to smile. “Hey, Killian, we have another remote!” Henry called upon seeing Emma’s partner. Killian’s smile faltered and Emma knew why. She lifted and kissed his fake hand and told him quietly to go and see if he could. 

“And, if you can’t,” Emma started, as quietly as she could because she didn’t want her mother to hear, “then he will love you no less.” He gave her half a smile and passed her Liam’s car seat, holding her very awake baby. She placed it on the table and took her baby out, holding him in her arms. “Hey, Mary Margaret,” she greeted. Mary Margaret smiled over her cup of tea and approached Emma, using the pad of her thumb to wipe some paint of her forehead. Emma smiled.

“How did you get on with the decorating?” Mary Margaret asked. Emma told her of their progress, of how exciting she is finding it all. “That’s wonderful, Emma. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.”

“We’re going to go and do some more tomorrow. We want to get Liam’s room finished so that he can be in there while we do the rest of the house. I really want to take advantage of my maternity leave,” Emma said. Mary Margaret smiled. “How are you feeling?” Emma asked, laying a hand on her mother’s pregnant belly.

“I’m good. Olive, the midwife, was over today,” Mary Margaret informed her. Emma’s eyes widened and she adjusted Liam against her shoulder. “She said that everything looks good and I should be ready to have him in about a week.”

“Him?” Emma said suddenly. Mary Margaret grinned. “You’re having a boy?” Her mother nodded excitedly. “That’s amazing! Have you thought of any names?” she asked.

“Well, my father was called Leopold,” Mary Margaret said. Emma’s nose crinkled and her mother rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. Your father and I compromised and we were thinking of Leo.”

Emma grinned. “Liam and Leo. I already know they’re going to be best friends. Is your midwife going to be here when you give birth?” she asked. Mary Margaret nodded.

“I’ve decided to have a home birth, upon reflection. Olive really pointed out the benefits to me.” Emma nodded.

“Well, I want to be here too,” Emma declared. Mary Margaret furrowed her brow. “You couldn’t be there for me either time and I know you would have been if you could have. So I want to be here to be with you.” Mary Margaret smiled, pressing a kiss to Emma’s cheek.

“Come on. We’ve got ten minutes until dinner will be ready. Let’s check on those boys,” Mary Margaret said. Emma smiled. They headed to the living room. Perching on the side of the sofa next to Killian, Emma glanced at the screen. Hook was well behind. Handing her son to her mother, she slid onto Hook’s lap.

“Love, if you think that is going to help, it’s not. It’s only going to hinder me,” he informed her without looking up from the screen, his fake hand controlling the left-hand control pad. Emma’s lips twitched.

“Too much information, mate,” Emma’s father replied, also with full concentration on the screen. Emma giggled and organised herself so that she could operate the left side of his XBOX remote, where his fake hand was. He pressed a quick kiss on her cheek. Soon, Emma and Hook were catching up to David, even if they were nowhere near Henry’s score.

Eventually, they overtook him and, at the end of the game, Mary Margaret declared that it was time for dinner, Henry boasting of his win over David and Hook in the background. Emma looked around her, at her parents, her boyfriend and her sons. She smiled. This was all she had ever wanted.

XXX

It had been Hook’s suggestion to get lunch at Granny’s, craving a burger. Emma had agreed immediately, happy to get away from the decoration for an hour or so. They had pretty much finished the living room, one wall of wallpaper and three walls of paint, two cabinets assembled and a coffee table painstakingly put together. All there was to do now was wait for the paint to dry and assemble the cabinets, coffee table, sofas and rug. So, Hook had declared it lunchtime.

Liam had been a pain all morning. Emma would feed him and burp him and change him and he would fall asleep for ten minutes and then cry and Killian would rock him and burp him and snuggle him and sing to him until he fell asleep and then he would wake again, wanting feeding or rocking or burping. Thankfully, Emma wasn’t alone. She had Killian, her partner.

Emma really preferred the word partner to boyfriend. It fit their relationship better and didn’t sound quite so juvenile. He was her partner in parenting but also in life. It sent funny feelings into Emma’s stomach. She’d not had a life partner since Neal, had done things on her own since then. Things were changing.

She’d sat at a table for two at Granny’s, her son in the buggy next to them, while Hook ordered a grilled cheese for her and a burger for himself. He came to sit with them, a stroke on the cheek for Liam, a few minutes later. And that was when Neal joined them.

She’d not seen Neal since she’d punched him, over a week ago. So, when he pulled over a chair to sit beside them, both she and Killian tensed, something Neal clearly noticed.

“Look,” he sighed. Emma glanced at him. There was no swelling on his face. She wondered if there had been. “You don’t have to worry anymore. I know I reacted badly to all this,” he said, gesturing to Hook and to Liam. “It was a surprise and I didn’t react in the right way.” Emma nodded stiffly. “I want to be a good dad to Henry. Can I see him? This week?”

Emma’s face softened and she nodded. “We’re decorating the house this week, so things are a bit crazy anyway. What night works for you?” she asked.

“You’ve got a house?” Neal said, his eyebrows raising. “That’s great.” He looked between the two of them and smiled. “That’s really great. I’m- I’m free all week. Shall we say Wednesday?” Emma nodded her head and Neal grinned, reaching for Emma’s hand and squeezing it. “Thanks, Ems. It means a lot to me.”

He left after that and Hook gave her a funny look. “Why was he so happy that we had bought a house together?” he asked her. Emma shrugged with a sigh.

“I don’t want to overthink it. I just want to believe that he wants to be a good dad to Henry.” Killian nodded his head, reaching over and taking her hand. He kissed it and Emma smiled at him.

Their food arrived swiftly after that and they’d almost finished when they received another visitor at their table, this time, in the shape of Mary Margaret’s midwife, Olive. Almost immediately as she sat down on Neal’s vacated chair, Liam started to cry. Emma apologised to the woman and took Liam from his carrier, feeling her breasts begin to leak. “Do you mind if I feed him?” she asked. Olive was all too happy, of course, being a midwife.

“What can we help you with, love?” Killian asked Olive while Emma organised their son to her breast. Olive shrugged.

“I just wanted to introduce myself properly, and to offer my services. I know that your son is a few months old now, but they’re still so young and innocent. I’d be willing to help in anyway I can.” Emma met eyes with Killian, whose brow creased and then returned to its nonchalant position.

“What do you mean, love?” he asked.

Olive shrugged again. “I was thinking of starting a post-natal class. There are so many babies in town, you wouldn’t believe it! We could have post-natal exercises and time for you to socialise with other new mums.” That sounded awful to Emma.

“That sounds great,” she lied. “You’ll have to let me know when they start.”

“I will,” Olive said, smiling her big smile. She reached over and squeezed Emma’s hand. “Let me know if you need anything, babysitting or help in any way. I am here for you.”

As she left, Killian narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you get a funny feeling about her?” he asked. Emma nodded.

“Definitely.”

XXX

“You look fantastic,” Killian growled from the doorframe. Emma turned her head and grinned at him from her position on the ladder in their bedroom. She had been too warm, so, when Killian went to check on their slumbering son, she had changed her top to one of Killian’s - from their shared wardrobe - and had tied it off under her breasts. It would be easier to access for Liam, too, when he needed.

Killian pressed a kiss to Emma’s bared waist. “The lad just needed changing?”

“And you managed?” Emma asked, stepping down from the ladder and tugging on his earring. Killian nodded. It had been a learning process for Killian to be sure, especially with only one hand. He had been worried about hurting Liam with his hook for quite a while. “What time is it?” Emma asked.

“Just gone three,” Killian said. “He’ll be home in about half an hour.” Emma gave him an apologetic smile. She knew she was on edge. This evening, she was going to tell Henry that Neal was his father and that he wanted to see him the following night. It was not something she relished.

“Well, I think I’m finished here,” Emma said, slinging her arm around his waist. “What do you think?” Killian looked around the room.

“It’s missing something important,” he replied, looking down at her. Emma leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up.

“What?” she asked.

“A bed,” he replied. Emma giggled. “Just think, Swan, if we get it up this evening, we can sleep here tonight,” he enthused. Emma bit her lip to contain her smile. They could spend the night in their house. Henry’s bed had been built yesterday and Liam’s nursery was long finished. She nodded.

“Do you think you’ll need my help getting it up?” Emma asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes. He smirked at her and Emma giggled. “Come on, let’s go and get the boxes. I want to sleep here tonight.”

Henry arrived half an hour later, as they expected. He appeared at their door frame, watching the situation amusedly until Emma told him to stop laughing and give them a hand. “Is that a jape, Swan?” Killian protested, waving his fake hand at her. Emma snorted and Killian grinned at her. “Good day, Henry?” Killian asked, scuffing Emma’s son’s hair with his good hand.

“Yeah, it was alright. Conrad asked if I could stay at his on Friday night,” Henry told them. Emma nodded distractedly, reaching for the hammer. “Great. I’ll go and text him and then come back to help.”

Henry was helpful, admittedly, and fifteen minutes later, they were fighting with the sheets on their mattress to make it a real bed. “Does this mean we can stay here tonight, Mom?” Henry asked excitedly. Hook looked at Emma hopefully. She nodded and watched, amused, as her two boys hi-fived.

“I need to talk to you actually, Henry,” Emma said a bit nervously.

Killian cleared his throat. “I’ll go check on the little lad,” he said, bowing out of the room. Henry furrowed his brow and glanced at where Killian had left, before looking back at Emma, lips parted and eyes narrowed.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Emma shook her head.

“Come sit on the chaise,” she said, pointing at the fancy sofa she and Killian had purchased for in front of their fireplace. When she and Henry were both sitting down, she reached for his hand. “I have to tell you something.”

“What’s happened? Is it your parents?”

Emma shook her head. “Henry, it’s about your dad.” Henry shrunk back from her, forcing his hand out of hers.

“What? The guy who abandoned you? He’s not my dad,” Henry replied angrily. Emma sighed. She knew this was going to happen.

“Look, Henry, your dad, he had his reasons for abandoning me-”

“That doesn’t mean it was right!”

Emma reached for his hand again and stroked it soothingly. “I know it wasn’t right, Henry, but he had his reasons and I’ve- I’ve forgiven him.”

Henry gave her an odd look. “You’ve spoken to him? I thought you didn’t know where he was.”

Emma bit her lip and glanced down at her lap. “I know. I didn’t, Henry, until the other day. Do you remember Neal?”

Henry gasped. “He is my father? The one who was jealous of Killian?”

Sighing, Emma mentally cursed Neal for giving Henry such a bad first impression of him. “Yeah, kid. I know he didn’t react well but he- he doesn’t like Killian and he didn’t know about Liam-”

“That’s not really an excuse. Is he- does he love you?”

Emma sighed. “Henry, I don’t know. I know that I want to be with Killian.”

“Last week-”

“I was being silly last week. I was scared that Killian would leave us like Neal left me but-”

“He wouldn’t,” Henry said and Emma smiled at the certainty in her son’s voice.

“I know that now. I was being silly.” Henry nodded. “Your dad wants to meet you, properly.”

Henry clenched his jaw. Emma felt a bit sorry for Neal. He hadn’t been a bad father to Henry, for as long as he’d known him. “When?”

“He said he’d have you tomorrow night.” Henry nodded. “Are you okay, kid?” Emma asked him. Henry nodded again. Emma felt the lie in her chest.

“Can I go now?” he asked quietly. Emma’s heart clenched but she nodded, wincing at the slam of a door that she heard a few moments later. Sighing, she pulled herself up and trotted down to where she could hear Killian’s voice.

Leaning against the kitchen door frame, Emma admired the sight before her: Killian wandering around the kitchen, pointing out to their son in his arms all the appliances he knew the names of. When he noticed her watching at the door frame, he gave her a look. “Bad form spying, Swan.”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said, stepping over to him and swinging her arms around his waist. She pressed a kiss to Liam’s forehead, meeting his wide blue eyes, then pressing a similar kiss to Killian’s soft lips.

“Henry?” Killian muttered. Emma gave him a sad smile. “You did your best, love.”

XXX


	10. Chapter 10

Neal’s house was nice. It was about the same size as the new house that Emma and Hook were decorating. It wasn’t far away either, quite easy to get to. Henry wasn’t sure how he felt about that. After the revelation that Neal was the man that had abandoned his mom in prison, Henry’s opinion on the man who had argued with his mom had only worsened. It was only curiosity that had brought him here. He could have stayed at home and had fish and chips with his mom and her boyfriend.

The house was quite empty, though the fridge wasn’t. Neal made them pasta for tea, with sauce. It was fine. Neal apologised for not being a great cook. His mom was definitely better, Henry considered, but he knew that Killian couldn’t cook at all. So, on the Liam vs Henry dad debate, Henry was winning in this category.

Henry wasn’t actually sure he wanted a dad. He had wanted one for a long time. Every father’s day at school, every Christmas, every time he saw how lonely his mom was, he’d thought that a step-dad would be nice. Every time someone asked him who his dad was, he’d said he didn’t have one. No dad was better than a dad who had abandoned his mom in jail.

But now he did have a dad and, even though he could have gone on pretending that he had no dad, there was one here and he wanted to be a part of Henry’s life. And Henry’s mom said that it was okay with her if he was.

It was all quite a lot, all of this. He’d gone from just having a mom to having grandparents (who had yet to materialise) and a dad, and that was just a week or so after Liam’s dad had shown up. Those were quite a lot of changes to occur in such a short space of time for just one teenager.

But Henry had always prided himself on being more mature than most people his age. He’d always thought that he looked after his mom pretty well, been the man of the house when she’d had no one else.

“What you thinking about so deeply there, kid?” Neal asked as he returned to the table with some ice cream and a cuff to the back of Henry’s head. Henry flinched a bit. He really didn’t know Neal well enough for him to be so friendly, even if he was his dad. He accepted the ice cream without trouble, though. He wasn’t a complete idiot.

Henry shrugged as he dipped his spoon into the ice cream. “Just about you - and mom.”

Neal’s mouth opened to speak but they were interrupted by the door opening. Henry looked up and turned awkwardly to the door for a glimpse at the person entering. He didn’t recognise her but immediately wondered if this was Neal’s girlfriend.

“Belle,” Neal said in a surprised tone. Henry furrowed his brow.

“Sorry, Neal,” she said and - cool! She was from Australia. Henry had never met anyone from Australia before - or maybe she was from New Zealand? Who could tell? “Oh, Henry!” she said. Henry blinked. She knew who he was immediately, at sight. He had never seen her before. Her pretty face crumpled. “I mean, you must be Henry. Because you’re sitting here and-”

She cut herself off and, when Henry turned back to Neal, he was making a weird hand gesture. He looked between the two curiously. She laughed a bit awkwardly and stepped into the kitchen, pulling a cardigan off the back of Neal’s chair and folding it over her arm. “Sorry, I just forgot this.”

Neal smiled at her and she turned to leave, before turning back. “Your grandfather is very excited to meet you, Henry,” Belle said in that funny accent of hers. Henry’s lips parted as his mind went into overdrive. Grandfather? Neal groaned and Belle hurried out, her heels clicking against Neal’s wooden floor.

“Grandfather?” Henry repeated to Neal, who grimaced. “I have a grandfather too? Your dad?”

Neal nodded a bit reluctantly. “Yeah, kid. He runs the pawn shop around here.” Henry remembered the shop he had seen: Mr Gold’s pawn shop.

“Will he be a better grandfather than my mom’s dad?” Henry asked, digging into his ice cream again, annoyed that he had let part of it melt. He looked up at Neal’s silence, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

“I don’t know, kid. He abandoned me as a kid.”

Henry shrugged. “You abandoned my mom too. I guess I can’t judge anybody on that alone.”

When Henry looked up again to find a hurt look on Neal’s face, he couldn’t feel guilty. Abandonment was the worst thing you could do to somebody and some people needed to get their heads around that.

XXX

Henry arriving home was announced by a loudly shut door and the sound of shoes being thrown under the stairs. Emma rolled her eyes at Killian, whose lips twitched in amusement, though Emma knew that he would be the first to tidy Henry’s shoes when he saw them. Killian liked things to be in order. Even 300 years as a pirate couldn’t take the navy training out of a man, it seemed.

Emma pulled herself out of Killian’s arms and sat up, quickly glancing at Liam, lying in his bassinet by the window. Henry slipped into the living room, leaving the door open behind him. “You decided not to stay?” Emma asked, though the answer was obvious. She wanted to know the reason without forcing him.

Henry shrugged and picked up the TV remote. Emma glanced sharply at Liam, who had been a pain to get to sleep. Killian was already standing. “I’ll take the lad to bed, love,” he said, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Emma smiled up at him, grateful, and then watched him scoop their son into his arms and leave the room, clicking the door shut behind him.

“Sorry,” Henry said unapologetically. “It looks nice in here.” Emma smiled at the compliment. It did look nice in their living room. They’d painted the walls the previous day and today had set up the furniture. It had been quite amusing watching Killian fail to build a bookshelf twice - and have to entirely dissemble it both times - before finally succeeding.

“We also painted the bathroom and someone is coming in tomorrow to tile it,” Emma said, for the sake of speaking, watching her son curiously. He was skipping through the channels quickly, whizzing past shows that she knew he liked. “What’s up, Henry?”

Henry groaned dramatically and turned the TV off, swinging around on the chair, his legs over an arm of it. “Did you know I have a grandfather?”

Emma blinked. She hadn’t considered that that was something that needed sharing. She had assumed that Neal would explain that whole debacle. “I did,” she answered uncertainly. Henry set his jaw.

“Well, I didn’t, and I met his girlfriend today.”

Emma smiled. “Isn’t Belle lovely?”

Henry furrowed his brow. “How do you know her?”

Emma’s eyes widened, annoyed at herself for opening her stupid mouth. “I went into the pawn shop to get something for the house,” she said, with a shrug, hurriedly adding, “they didn’t have what I wanted.” Henry narrowed his eyes but seemed to accept her answer.

“What’s my grandfather like?” Henry asked. His voice was quiet, his eyes flicking between his lap and Emma. Swallowing, Emma glanced at the door. She wasn’t sure if she wanted Killian here for this or not, but it would be nice to have the support.

“I don’t know him very well,” Emma said, splaying her fingers on her thighs. Henry nodded and reached for the remote when Killian re-entered.

“What are we talking about?” he asked, practically bouncing down on the sofa next to Emma. Emma glared at him and then glanced at Henry’s feet, which he had on the coffee table. It was as though the men in this house didn’t know that these things were new. And this was their family home and she wanted it to be nice, nicer than the flat had been.

“My grandfather. You know Emma’s parents - do you know my grandfather?”

Killian froze and Emma closed her eyes tightly. He cleared his throat. “I do,” he said honestly. Emma almost wished he had lied. “We’ve known each other for a long time. We do not have a very good relationship.”

“Like you and my dad,” Henry said and Emma’s eyes widened, wishing not for the first time that her family was not so fucking complicated. Killian nodded a bit hesitantly, perhaps, like Emma, wondering what Neal had told Henry about Killian. “Why?”

And there was the question that could get them all in trouble. Killian could hardly explain Rumple’s murder of Henry’s grandmother - who also happened to be Killian’s ex-lover. “It’s complicated, Henry,” Emma interrupted, before Killian could speak. He looked at her gratefully. “Killian has a very good relationship with Belle, though.”

Henry looked at Killian assessingly. Killian nodded eagerly. Emma squeezed his knee. “Aye, we get on very well.” Thankfully Henry’s curiosity was sated and he turned the TV on, which meant that Emma’s biggest issue for the evening was answering Killian’s endless questions about the elements of culture he saw on the television. 

XXX

Emma arrived at her parents’ flat reluctantly, irritated by Killian and Henry’s sunny happiness beside her. Even Liam was taunting her with his small toothy smile. She had agreed to this stupid spa trip in a moment of weakness, when her mother had been discussing missing Liam’s birth and feeling guilty and Emma had wanted to spare her that. So, here they were, going to the spa, while Killian, Henry and Liam had a lazy boys’ day with David. Killian was determined to get his good relationship with David back on track, something that Emma wholeheartedly supported, having listened to a few of Killian’s stories in an attempt to try and understand the villain that they were expecting.

Killian had no idea what the villain looked like, only that she was a woman. Emma wondered whether Gold would know her, whether he would help them even if he did. Perhaps she would pay him a visit - after Mary Margaret’s accursed spa trip.

Finding her mother practically sparkling with excitement, Emma pulled a smile onto her face quite easily. She could hardly stay so miserable about the trip when her mother had paid and she was so excited by the prospect. Turning to her boyfriend, Emma grinned at the sight of him with Liam strapped to his front. He looked every part the modern dad. She leaned up to kiss him goodbye and he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Come on, Emma,” Mary Margaret said, her sing-song voice making Emma roll her eyes and pretend to groan. “Bye, boys, have a nice day!”

And with that, Emma and Mary Margaret left Killian, Henry, Liam and David together in the apartment. “You think they’ll be okay?” Emma asked, suddenly worried that this Killian was a Killian who had had a baby out of wedlock with his daughter and not just a Killian who was in love with his daughter. Perhaps their friendship wouldn’t get off to as good of a start as it had when they had been sent back to the Enchanted Forest.

Mary Margaret grabbed Emma’s arm and forced her to concentrate on the stairs. “They’ll be fine. Come on, I don’t want to be late for our facial.”

XXX

Killian found himself at the stables only an hour after arriving at the apartment. While the original plan had been to watch films all day, only twenty minutes in Henry had come up with the idea of riding a horse that David had bought him a while ago, not that the lad knew that. It was colder than Killian might have liked and he wasn’t much of a horse rider.

So, while David and Henry mucked out the horse’s stable, Killian and Liam sat on a bench, almost shivering and bored. Perhaps Killian was growing soft in this world of indoor heating. He never would have had a problem with this weather back in the Enchanted Forest. “We won’t tell your mother, will we?” Killian cooed to his son, who only grinned toothlessly back at him.

“What are you not telling Emma?”

Of all the things for David to overhear. Killian nearly groaned aloud but did not. Instead, he put on a grin and shook his head. “Nothing important. Is the horse ready to ride?”

David narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Not just yet. Are you going to have a go? You could take Liam for his first ride.”

Killian felt his face screw up in horror, his lips parting to gape. “His first ride? Mate, the lad is barely four months old.”

“I meant ride with you,” David said, rolling his eyes as he came to sit down. Killian had been perfectly clear on his meaning. He still thought it was too young to be on a horse. Animals were not exactly trustworthy. Who knew when a horse would buck or run? They could not be controlled, by a prince or a pirate, and certainly not by a four-month-old babe.

David leaned back against the wooden panelling that made up the stable. Killian wondered if he meant to put his child on a horse within the first four months. It was absolutely absurd. He was sure that Snow would put a stop to it. Swan would certainly put a stop to it if Killian suggested it.

“You do know that he is a prince?” David said and his tone was one of frustration. Killian was silent. He knew full well that, according to the prince and Snow, his son was a prince, as was Henry, as the sons of Emma, who was a princess. Killian had not even mentioned that fact to her, well aware that it would freak her out as the idea of going back to the Enchanted Forest had once too.

“I do but Emma does not.” David chuckled. “And, anyway, just because he is a prince does not mean that he needs to ride a horse at four months. Many princes join the navy.” Killian smirked at David’s scoff. “Perhaps he could join the navy and steal the flagship and run away to Neverland, like his father.”

David gave him a sideways glance. “Or he could learn to ride a horse and slay a monster, like his grandfather.”

Killian shrugged. “Those are some fairly good options for the lad. I think we can let him choose.”

When David laughed, something in Killian relaxed. The easy relationship he had had with David before could be refound; they could be friends again, as well as the family relation.

Henry called for them and they followed the sound of his voice, finding him sitting upon his horse, looking for all the world a prince, just as he should. Killian wished Emma were here to see this. Then he remembered that they were living in the modern world and the talking phone that Emma had bought him had the ability to capture moments on its screen.

Wrestling the phone from his pocket, Killian ignored David’s amused glance as he swiped on the screen and found the ‘camera’ app. “Smile, Henry,” Killian said and Henry grinned like he was the happiest man in the world. Killian took the picture and then smiled at how it had come out. “Wonderful. Now, Dave, how do I send this to Swan?”

David grabbed the phone from Killian with a roll of his eyes, annoyingly not actually demonstrating the process to Killian. When Emma had sent him a picture a few days ago, Killian had not been able to respond in kind, no matter how much he would have liked to. Perhaps David was aware of the promiscuous photos that could be sent from device to device and wished to avoid it happening between him and Emma.

Killian took the phone back from David and tucked it into the contraption that Liam was sitting in, strapped to Killian’s front. “Right, Henry, lad, show your brother how it’s done.”

XXX

Killian, Henry, David and Liam crashed into the apartment, laughing. Liam was looking between his father, brother and grandfather with his big blue eyes, innocently enjoying the camaraderie. “Hello,” Emma greeted him from the sofa, standing. Killian approached her immediately and kissed her.

“Have you had a nice day?” Killian asked quietly.

“Stop whispering to my - to Emma,” David hollered from the kitchen. “Come and set the Chinese out.”

Emma laughed and kissed him again. “Can I have my son before you do that please?” Killian acquiesced, taking Liam from his front, managing to pass his son over without losing him to the ground undoing all the straps. “Was he okay with the bottled stuff?”

Killian nodded. His son had taken the bottle as easily as he did Emma’s breasts. If it were Killian, he would have kicked up a fuss about being forced away from her breasts, but Liam made do with the milk that Emma had expelled that morning.

“Does this mean that I can have your breasts to myself?” Killian whispered, waggling his brows at her. Emma laughed loudly.

“You better not have said what I think you just said, Killian Jones,” Snow called in her sing-song voice, coming down the stairs. Killian only winked at Emma, and then her mother, before going to help David in the kitchen.

“Just think, Mary Margaret,” Killian heard Emma say. “We’ll have another boy in the family before long!” Killian and David met eyes and simultaneously rolled them, while Snow practically roared with laughter from the next room.

“What do you mean family?”

Killian froze at Henry’s question, thankful that it was not him who had made the comment. Emma had not thought, likely because she had spent the day with her mother, able to talk about whatever she pleased, not having to censor herself in front of Henry.

“Just - this - this feels like a family.” Emma’s answer came out in a stammer and Killian winced at the awkwardness of it. Thankfully, Henry didn’t say anything more and Killian and David arrived at the couches with food before he could. One look at Emma made Killian aware that she was annoyed with herself, whereas Snow just appeared to be amused.

“This is nice,” Henry said, a few minutes later, digging into the food. “It’s usually just me and Mom and Liam at home. It’s nice to spend time with new people. I guess when Mom’s parents get back, it’ll be even nicer.”

Killian watched Emma make eyes at her father, who shrugged at her, busying himself with his food. “Yes, of course, Henry, darling,” Snow said with an easy smile. “I’m sure they’ll be back any day now.”

But Killian wasn’t so sure. None of them knew how to get Henry remembering again and he was only going to keep on asking questions.


	11. Chapter 11

“Okay, come on, you can do this,” Emma said, allowing her mother to squeeze her hand as hard as possible. Tears were flowing down Mary Margaret’s cheeks and she was groaning as another contraction passed through her body. She had already been in labour for six hours. Emma knew that labour usually was faster with the second and she kept hoping that Mary Margaret was nearly ready to push, but Olive kept checking and saying that she was not ready yet.

It pained Emma to see her mother this way. If mothers forgot how painful childbirth was as soon as they held their baby for the first time, Mary Margaret had an additional twenty-eight years on them. Olive had advised Mary Margaret to have a natural birth, with no pain relief, as it had been when she had had Emma. Emma understood the thinking behind it - sort of - but she was only moments away from screaming at Killian to go and get her mother some sort of pain relief. Emma had never struggled with having gas and air when she had Henry or Liam. Less pain at the beginning did not mean less love in their lives.

“Surely she’s nearly ready now, Olive,” Emma pressed, teeth gritted. Having Olive was like having a trainee midwife. Though her mother had explained that often in the Enchanted Forest, midwives had no formal training, Emma thought that Olive’s lack of knowledge was very troubling. She was continually suggesting that they go and get someone, Doctor Whale, but Mary Margaret did not want him anywhere near her.

When Emma suggested that Doctor Whale had an intimate knowledge of Mary Margaret’s parts already, she had received a deadly glare.

Mopping her mother’s head, Emma looked down at Olive, who had bent to check Mary Margaret’s cervix. When she looked up, Emma glanced at her hopefully and she said no. Mary Margaret and Emma groaned simultaneously. “She must be!”

“Come and check yourself,” Olive said hotly.

Though the thought greatly disgusted Emma, she did think something was going wrong and this was her mother. She would do anything to protect her. Emma stood and moved to the other end of the bed. Mary Margaret gasped.

“Emma, what are you doing?” she said in horror.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Finding out what’s going on.” Thankfully, she had a good grasp of the procedure from all the TV she had watched. She measured carefully with her fingers, wincing at the thought of what she was doing. And then she pulled away and looked at Olive.

“I guess you’re right,” she said, keeping her face blank though her mind raced. “I’m going to go and wash my hands.”

And before her mother or ‘Olive’ could say anything, she zipped out of her room and found her father pacing anxiously and Killian sitting on the sofa. She called Killian over to the kitchen and he arrived, while she was scrubbing her hands. He gave her a funny look.

“What have you been doing with your hands, love?”

Emma cringed. “You don’t want to know.”

“And why have I been summoned to the sink?”

“I think Olive is Zelena.”

Killian’s eyes widened and she watched him inhale sharply. She pressed her finger to her lips before he could say anything, then pointed at her anxious father. “What do you suggest, lass?” Killian said seriously.

“I have to stay with my mom. You need to go and get Regina.”

Killian nodded hurriedly. “You need to tell your father.”

Emma sighed, looking over at him. He was already watching them suspiciously, though she did not know if that was caused by his general dislike of their relationship. She nodded. “I know. You go. I’ll talk to my dad.”

It was not an easy conversation and David was desperate to storm in and run Zelena through, but Emma wasn’t ready to let him do that. Firstly, she wasn’t entirely sure that Olive wasn’t just an idiot. It was possible. But, secondly, if Olive was Zelena, and she was fairly certain that she was, she was far more powerful than David, even with his quasi magical daughter at his back. It was too much of a risk. The only person Emma trusted enough to help was Regina. And she would be on her way soon.

Hopefully.

XXX

Belle watched Neal and Henry interact. It was quite awkward, not at all what it had been before the curse. She peered through the gap between the top cupboards and bottom cupboards, while she stirred her tea. Rumple was observing them too, from his armchair in the corner, not joining in on the puzzle that Belle had suggested, though she thought that Rumple would prefer it to Neal or Henry.

“Hey, Belle,” Henry called, though he didn’t turn his head. Belle threw her tea bag in the bin and wandered around to the living room.

“What’s up, Henry?”

Henry actually turned, as Belle took the seat next to Rumple. “How do you know Killian?”

Belle furrowed her brow and turned to Rumple, whose muscles were twitching in anger. “I don’t know him.” She could have told Henry how Killian had tried to kidnap her in the Enchanted Forest and then they’d had a fight on a ship in this world, but she did not. Even if Henry’s memory had been restored, it would have been cruel to smear his sort of stepfather that way.

As soon as Henry’s face crumpled into confusion, Belle realised that she had said the wrong thing and should have thought before she spoke. “He said that you get along very well.”

Rumple scoffed before Belle could say anything. She looked up and saw the tension on Neal’s face too. Killian was a sensitive topic in this house. Belle hoped that Rumple was going to leave it at a scoff. Henry was confused enough as it was. She could see on his face that he had no idea what was going on. It was bad enough that he had been forced to spend the day with his father while his mom helped a woman she ‘barely knew’ to give birth.

“Killian Jones,” Rumple said, through gritted teeth, “had an affair with my wife and stole her away, abandoning Neal when he was just- when he was younger.” Belle cringed at Rumple’s mistake. Way to confuse Henry even more.

“He had an affair with your wife? With my grandmother? That’s so creepy.” Belle could see that Neal was quite pleased by that comment. “Does my mom know?”

Neal said, “Yeah, she does. I told her.”

“Is that what you argued about?” Henry asked Neal. Belle had heard about the awful argument between Neal and Emma in Granny’s. Emma’s relationship with Killian was difficult for Neal, of course, but he had not handled it in the best way. He was a lot like his father in that respect.

Neal hesitated. “It was part of what we argued about.”

“What else?” Henry demanded.

Clearly Emma had not shared these details with her son. It made Belle feel as though Neal shouldn’t either. The new agreement was tentative and not respecting Emma’s decisions could jeopardise that. Neal didn’t consider that when he started speaking, “Killian and I don’t have a very good relationship in general. I think your mom can do better.”

“With you?” Henry said and his face was full of anger. Belle looked at Rumple and saw that he was wincing too at the interaction. Henry stood up.

“Henry,” Rumple sighed. Belle winced as Henry glared at his grandfather and stormed out of the room and then, with a second slam of a door, the house.

XXX

Mary Margaret screamed as the baby finally arrived, hurtling its way into the world with a cry. A boy, pink and squalling. “Can I see him?” Mary Margaret sobbed. Emma stared at the little boy, close enough to send a wave of magic at Olive, and felt overcome with love for her brother. She would protect that baby with her life.

“Let me give him to her, Olive,” Emma said sweetly, as though nothing were wrong, as though she just wanted to hold her brother. But the second that Olive had cut his umbilical cord and wrapped him in the blanket that Granny had knitted, she looked up at Emma with an evil smirk. “No!” Emma cried.

“What?” Mary Margaret said, her voice laced with panic and exhaustion. Zelena grinned at them both. The door slammed into the apartment. Regina was here, a moment too late.

“Give him to me, Zelena,” Emma said and she could hear tears in her throat. She didn’t trust her magic. She knew she had it and she felt it burning in her veins. And, if she used it, she would hurt the baby.

“Zelena?” Mary Margaret said in a panic, sitting up. Emma’s eyes widened. Her mother couldn’t move yet. She hadn’t delivered the placenta yet.

“Mom, stay there,” Emma said desperately. Zelena chuckled wildly and turned away. “Mom, you have to stay!”

Emma followed Zelena out of the room. Emma watched her father’s face light up at the sight of the baby and then it fell with the memory of his conversation with Emma earlier. “Where’s Snow?” he demanded of Zelena, flashing his sword that Emma had ignored in favour of keeping her eyes on her baby brother. “Is she okay?”

In answer to David’s question, Mary Margaret stumbled out of the room. “My baby,” she said, her hand on her stomach.

“David, get her back to bed! The placenta hasn’t come yet,” Emma ordered, pointing at her. Her mother was sobbing. David moved, not dropping his sword but he did what Emma said.

“So you’re Zelena?” Regina said, drawing Zelena’s attention to her instead. A bigger smile grew on Zelena’s face and the cackle that came out of her mouth sounded like the classic witch noise that Emma had heard in movies when she was a kid.

And then she raised her hand and disappeared. Emma’s hand slashed into the green smoke that she left. Her parents were at Mary Margaret’s bed, watching. The noise that came out of her mother’s mouth made tears fall from Emma’s eyes. She looked around the room helplessly. How could Zelena have just left? She tried to think of all the things she could have done differently, that would have saved her brother.

She found Killian’s eyes. They were full of shock, a feeling she understood well. She stepped over to him, where he was standing, beside Liam in his bassinet. “I have to go and get him,” she said.

“I know,” Killian replied quietly. Emma smiled at the response and kissed him lightly, before bending down to do the same on Liam’s forehead.

“Come on, Regina,” she said, looking back at her sobbing mother. “Let’s go!”

XXX

As Emma and Regina poofed away in a red puff of Regina’s smoke, the door opened and Liam started to cry. Killian groaned and picked his son up, glancing over at who had opened the door. It was Henry.

“Are you alright, Henry, lad?” Killian said, putting a fake smile on his face to offset the sound of Mary Margaret’s sobs.

His eyes were wide with panic, looking about the loft as though he’d never seen it before. “My moms, Mary Margaret, what’s going on?” Killian blinked and Henry focussed his eyes on him. “Hook, what’s going on?”

It clicked and Killian pulled Liam closer to him, stepping forward to Henry. “You remember?”

“The smoke. I saw the smoke. The magic. That was what did it last time, with the book. Magic. So, tell me, what’s going on?”

Killian sighed. “Mary Margaret gave birth and her midwife stole the babe.”

“No,” Henry said, looking straight at Mary Margaret and David through the door. She was sobbing. Killian looked away. “And my moms have gone to stop her? We have to help them!”

Henry turned as if to leave and Killian’s eyes widened. “Lad, we have to stay here and look after Liam.”

Henry shook his head. “No, no, I won’t abandon them. What if my mom dies and she doesn’t know I love her?” Killian wasn’t sure which mom Henry was talking about but, if he was going to guess, he would say Regina.

“Lad, your mom would never forgive me if I let you-”

“What because you know my mom so well?” Henry snapped.

Killian’s mouth fell open, but he pulled himself together quickly. “I have a telescope. Let’s go to the roof and try to see them, okay? And, then, if we find them, we can decide what to do next.”

Henry clenched his jaw but nodded. Killian nearly sighed with relief, reorganising Liam against his shoulder.


	12. Chapter 12

Killian’s telescope was letting him down. He wasn’t used to having to search through a town of ridiculously tall buildings. He was used to flat landscapes - the sea, fields, even villages, with small houses and farms. This was impossible. How was he supposed to use his telescope to search behind every tall building, around every sharp corner? The whole town was set out like a grid and it was all too perfectly planned. It was very ordered - quite attractive to the naval man who still lurked inside him - but it did not make for easy searching.

“Can you see anything?” Henry asked insistently. The lad was scared for his mothers. Killian understood the feeling. He was very scared for Emma. Her magic was unpredictable - who knew if it would do anything to Zelena before Zelena did something to her?

Killian pushed the thought aside. “Not yet, lad, but we will. There are lots of buildings in the way that I have to change the telescope to search past.”

It wasn’t the first explanation that Killian had given and he received another nod from Henry, a shaky nod. Killian wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do in this situation. It was delicate. He and Henry had had a good relationship - but that was with the Henry who had got to know him on the basis that he was a good guy, that he was his mom’s boyfriend and his brother’s fahter. This Henry, the Henry with memories, remembered him as the man who shot Belle, as a man who had nearly abandoned the town to their deaths.

Killian hated the fact that they would have to rebuild their relationship. Hopefully Henry remembered all the good stuff he had done while they had been getting to know each other. And, if he didn’t, if it was all obscured by Killian’s past mistakes, then Killian would work doubly as hard to make things right again. He was not willing to give up, not when Henry was such an important part of his life.

And not when his real father was such a let down.

“Are they going to be okay?” Henry asked quietly. Killian took his eye from the telescope to look at Henry, who was staring out into the streets. Killian’s mouth was a grim line.

“Of course they are,” he assured him. “Your mothers are going to fight until they are back with you. You’re the most important thing in their lives.”

“What about you and Liam?”

Killian smirked. “I can assure you Regina would rejoice if I were no longer in her life.” Henry cracked a smile and the laugh that came out, though it was small, warmed Killian’s heart. Emma would come back - and Regina would come back - because they had to, for this lad. Killian would fight to the death for him, so he would imagine that his mothers would do even more.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Killian admitted. “You and Liam are equal for Emma, of course you are. She loves you both so much and she’s going to come back for both of you.”

“And you?” Henry asked.

Killian gave Henry half a smile. “Lad, I would never want Swan to love me more than she loves you and Liam.”

“Do you love Liam more than her?”

Killian’s eyes bulged at the question. He put his eye back to the telescope to give him time to think. “It’s a different type of love. I’m not sure you can measure it.”

“But my mom can love me and Liam more than you, so you’re saying that she can measure it but you can’t. Do you think you love her more than she loves you?”

Killian’s mouth dropped open. This lad was full of difficult questions. “Henry, your mom and I have not been together for very long.”

“Liam is four months old. I’m not stupid. I know you were together before as well.”

Killian cleared his throat. That was not a conversation that he wished to have, about his and Emma’s first night together, that he was certain would also be their last. “Lad, I love your mom and I know that she loves me. That’s all that matters.” Henry nodded and Killian nearly let out a sigh of relief. He wondered if Liam would have the same questions, one day.

“My grandfather says that you had an affair with his wife.”

And the difficult questions were not over.

Killian closed his eyes. He hated the crocodile for so many things but, at this moment, for mentioning Milah in front of Henry, for trying to ruin his life one more time. “He shouldn’t have told you that,” Killian said awkwardly as he checked another street with the telescope.

“But he did. Is it true?”

“It’s complicated, Henry.”

“You’re not going to tell me,” Henry said and he sounded genuinely annoyed. Killian sighed. He should tell the lad the truth. It was something that he deserved to know.

“Okay, Henry, I’ll tell you, but this is not a story that your grandfather nor I come out well in.”

“That’s okay,” Henry said eagerly. Killian closed his eyes, aware that the boy didn’t know what he was getting himself in for.

“Your grandmother’s name was Milah. She was very unhappy with Rumplestiltskin, even though she loved her son, Baelfire, your father very much. He had signed away their chance of having another child and he had humiliated her in the ogres’ war as a coward. She used to go to the local tavern to get away from him.” Henry’s face was grave. “They lived in a coastal town, somewhere that I decided to dock my ship one day. I met Milah at the tavern.”

“We fell in love. I didn’t know she was married until she had to leave with her son and husband but that didn’t stop the way I felt. I had- I had been with married women before. It wasn’t something that bothered me.” Henry frowned. “Anyway, the day that we were leaving port, I invited Milah with us and she came. Her husband came searching for her and begged me to give her back. I offered to fight him for her. He refused, like a coward. So, I took her.”

“We were together for a long time. It felt like a short time because every day passed in bliss. We talked about going back to get her son, talked about getting married but she had her husband to contend with on both fronts. So, we just lived. She liked the life on the ship. The crew liked her well enough, though they had not necessarily agreed with her presence there to begin with. A woman is bad luck on a ship.”

Henry laughed and Killian chuckled too. He moved onto the next part of the story, unable to look Henry in the eyes as he explained how the crocodile had found them, killed Milah and stolen Hook’s hand. Henry was horrified. “I don’t tell you this to make you hate your grandfather, Henry. I promise I am telling you the truth.”

Killian told the next part slowly, his revenge, going to Neverland and finding Milah’s boy. When he explained what he had done, how he had abandoned Bae, he said, “I made mistakes, Henry, and I am sorry for them. Even abandoning your father didn’t make me change my ways. Only your mom did that.”

Henry smiled a small smile. “So you aren’t going to abandon Liam?” he asked, deepening his voice rather amusingly. Killian wondered if he wanted to sound threatening.

Killian shook his head. “I’m not going to abandon either of you,” he said honestly, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Henry’s scruffy head. The lad shook his hair, blushing.

A few moments later, Henry asked incredulously, “How old are you?”

Killian could only laugh. This lad and his difficult questions.

XXX

Emma was exhausted. Every part of her wanted to give up, to crawl into a ball and die. Using magic had spent all of her energy, had drained her so completely that Emma thought she would be able to sleep for a month, the second she wasn’t helping Regina to beat this bitch.

Emma’s first priority had been finding her brother, who had been lying on the floor, in some sort of circle that reminded Emma of a UFO circle that freaks pretended to find in fields. With her brother scooped into her arms while Regina had duelled Zelena, Emma returned to Zelena, sending a burst of raw energy at her and knocking her out. As Regina approached to finish the job and Emma hid her brother’s face, Zelena awoke again and Regina only just dodged the spell.

With the precious baby in her arms, Emma could defend Regina as much as possible, because Zelena would not send any spells her way, for fear of hurting the baby that she needed for her spell. With the two of them against Zelena, it was fairly well-matched and very frustrating, especially because Zelena seemed not to be tiring while she and Regina certainly were.

Zelena cackled madly. “Regina, you’re weak,” she mocked. Regina growled, a burst of red light shooting from her hand to Zelena. It bounced off her. “When Rumple chose you to cast his curse, he chose wrong. You are the weaker one, the failure of the family.”

Regina scoffed. “Family? The family of witches?”

Zelena grinned sadistically. “No, Regina, dear, didn’t your mother ever tell you that she had a baby before you? I should probably say our mother. She didn’t want me, though. She left me in a basket but, you, you she kept. And, you, you Rumple chose. You, you, you, and yet you’re weak. So weak.”

Regina’s hand fell to her side in shock. “Regina!” Emma shouted in shock, holding her brother tightly to her chest as a silver burst came from Zelena. Regina’s hand coming up to block it was too late. It hit her square in the heart and she fell slowly, dramatically to the floor.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as Emma looked between the supposed sisters, Regina on the floor and Zelena grinning wildly. Fury filled Emma at Zelena’s overt celebration. She felt as though she had nothing left but she was the product of true love. She pulled on that, pulled on the love that she felt for Henry, for her parents, for - for Killian. She loved and she loved truly - and out of her hand came a dazzling column of light which hit Zelena in the side.

She froze, fell forward and then seemed to catch herself, holding out an arm. In that position, her skin transformed, from porcelain to something else. Something shinier, something more defined - like a statue. Emma realised that she had turned into a statue and, just as she reached out to see if the statue could breathe, if Zelena lived on in it, it smashed, the sound like a thousand glass raindrops, falling to the ground beneath her.

Emma’s intake of breath was more of a rasp. Her heart was racing. She loosened her hold on her brother, though he was still in her arms, and she looked into his eyes, the same green that she had. She smiled. He was safe.

Looking to her right, she felt immediate guilt. Her brother was safe but at the expense of Regina, who had come here to fight for her supposed enemy’s son and had paid the price. Crouching, Emma was immediately relieved to hear Regina’s breathing. She was alive.

“Okay, Regina,” she murmured. “We’ll find a solution to this. We always do.”

XXX

“There they are!” Henry cried, leaning over the side of the building. Killian pulled himself away from his telescope, frustrated by their lack of progress.

“Emma?” he asked.

Henry nodded eagerly but then his face dropped. “My mom - my Regina mom - she’s - she’s not okay.”

Killian closed his eyes in horror. By the time he opened them, Henry was already at the stairs, back down to the loft. Killian put his telescope in his pocket and then followed him quickly, ashamed at the relief that he felt that it was Regina and not Emma that was hurt.

Back in the loft, he found Liam in David’s arms and Killian took his son from him gratefully, ignoring the obvious proof of the man’s tears. “Are they truly here?” he asked hoarsely. Killian nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “Both of them?”

“And Regina,” Killian said, glancing at Henry who was watching the staircase. “I think Regina is injured.” David cursed and Killian nodded, just as Swan appeared at the top of the stairs, holding her brother and using her magic to float Regina along. Killian smiled at the sight of her and she met his eyes, her green ones wet. Killian glanced at Regina, praying that she was not dead.

Emma lay her down on the sofa carefully and then quickly moved to her mother’s bed, where she had already begun to cry. “I’m sorry I took so long, Mom,” Emma said and there were tears in her throat too, Killian could tell. Mary Margaret let out a huge sob as she took her baby back from her daughter, David immediately joining her on the bed and putting his arms around his wife. Killian clung to Liam even tighter, wishing he could hold Emma right now. But Henry needed her.

“What happened?” Henry asked. He was sitting beside his mom, stroking her cheek. Killian could hear that the young lad was about to cry. “Is Zelena gone?”

“She’s gone,” Emma replied. Killian smiled in response. “I think she’s under a sleeping spell, Henry. I’m not sure.”

A sob escaped from Henry then and Emma wrapped her arms around him quickly, burying his face in her shoulder. A sleeping spell was an awful fate with only one cure. And who would ever love the Evil Queen?

Killian froze, looking into Liam’s wide eyes. Who would ever love the Evil Queen? Well, Killian had a very good idea of who and, though he had not seen him yet in Storybrooke, there was only one place he could be.

XXX

The woods were dark. Thankfully, Killian had his baby son to keep him company because he was not sure what lurked in these woods. He had always preferred the safety of the sea to the dark trees of woods and forests, with creatures behind every bush and thieves hiding in trees.

He could hear people ahead, could see the glint of a lantern, and he knew that he had indeed found the people he was looking for. The Merry Men, Robin Hood’s band of neerdogooders and a group of people that Killian had very much enjoyed drinking with over the months that he was staying in the palace with Emma’s parents.

Just as Killian was considering their good relationship, an arrow whizzed past his head. He growled, holding Liam close to himself. Archers. He’d always thought that bows were the weapons of cowards. There was a kingdom in the Enchanted Forest that used bows on their ship and Killian had to be very careful when passing them because they could take out a pirate from a fair distance, just for the crime of being in their waters.

“I’m a friend,” he called towards where the arrow had come from.

The archer stepped out of the shadows, his bow still strung. “Well, I do not know you, so I am afraid that you are not.”

It was Robin. Killian grinned at the familiar sound of his accent. They were from the same kingdom, though from different parts. It was not a sound that he had heard much in recent - or in the past 300 - years. “I know a way that we can change that,” Killian said, quirking an eyebrow and hoping that Robin could see his face with the lantern that was attached to his breeches. “All it will take is for you to save a damsel-in-distress.”

It took a lot longer than that for Killian to convince Robin to come with him, to kiss the Evil Queen because Killian thought that they were each other’s true love. He knew that it was unlikely to work but because neither of them remembered their love he thought it would have more chance than his failed attempt with Emma in New York, when it had not broken the curse. They were on the same level. And this was different - this wasn’t to bring back memories. This was to break a sleeping spell.

Killian thought it was worth a shot and, eventually, so did Robin.

He brought little Roland with him and they stopped at the door when they arrived. “You are sure this is a good idea?” Robin asked, raising his eyebrows. Killian nodded solemnly, adjusting Liam in his arms as he fiddled with the keys to Emma’s parents’ loft.

Upon entry, he found Emma staring at him, very confused, Henry crying in her arms. She widened her eyes with a question that Killian answered with a grin. When Robin and Roland had entered the room, he gestured to them, saying, “Though the rest of you do not remember him, or have never met him, this is Robin Hood.” Henry looked up from Emma’s chest. “And, even though neither of them remember a thing, they were in love, in the Enchanted Forest.”

“True Love’s Kiss,” Henry breathed. Emma’s lips fell open and she stared at Robin. “You’re going to give her True Love’s Kiss?” Henry asked Robin enthusiastically, taking the robber aback slightly.

“I’m going to try. A kiss certainly can’t hurt can it? Though, if it hurt with anyone, it would be her,” Robin said and Killian couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He didn’t care.

“Come on, we’ve not got all day,” Killian hurried. “Let’s get the lad his mother back.”

Robin nodded once, positioned Roland by Henry and Emma and approached the sofa, inhaling deeply as he knelt beside Regina’s face. Killian nearly rolled his eyes and was about to tell him to hurry up when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Regina’s lips.

At first nothing happened and then the whole world lit up, the ground shook and the curse was broken.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HI I'M SORRY IF YOU READ THIS WHEN IT WAS THE SAME AS CHAPTER TWELVE
> 
> That's my bad - I only realised I hadn't updated this in ages, despite having written a few chapters, so I was copying it in and it clearly went wrong!!
> 
> Thanks for your patience and thanks for the reviewer who let me know because I might never have noticed!!!!

Regina awoke with a gasp. When Henry pulled himself out of her arms, Emma walked away, happy to watch Henry reunite with his mother - who was reuniting with the man that she remembered now. Because their true love had broken the curse.

Emma found Killian and happily settled herself into his hug, Liam squashed between them. “Were you worried for me, pirate?” she teased.

“Always, princess,” he replied and Emma grinned. “I love you.”

Emma’s heart jerked. Her face froze, her lips open as she looked up at him and then down at Liam, who watched her as though she should know what she was doing. Killian hadn’t told her that he loved her since they were in New York. Maybe she hadn’t known how much she needed to hear it. She looked back up at Killian and found him looking nervous. Giggling, she pressed her lips to his, ignoring Regina’s cry of disapproval from behind her.

“I love you too,” she said when she pulled away. Liam made a sound between them, a sort of gurgle. Emma and Killian met eyes and smiled. “We love you too, you scoundrel,” she said, pressing her lips to her son’s head and then to Killian’s lips again. He was grinning.

“Your son asked me if I loved you more than Liam earlier,” Killian whispered. Emma’s eyes widened and she snorted.

“Liam has developed a surprising ability to talk very quickly.”

Killian narrowed his eyes at her. “Funny, Swan. You know full well I meant Henry.”

Emma hummed, so tired that she felt silly. “What did you tell him?”

“That I would use you as a human shield to protect Liam.”

Emma choked, her laugh coming out incredulous and confused. “What?”

Killian was laughing. “I’m joking, love. I told him it was hard to explain. Honestly, your face.”

“I hate you,” she grumbled. Killian shook his head.

“No, no, love, you’ve said it now. You can’t take it back. You looove me.”

Emma grinned, unable to help herself at his ridiculousness. “I really want to go to bed. I’ll love you more if you take me somewhere I can sleep. Regina is hogging the couch here and my parents have already got rid of my bed to make a nursery.”

“How rude of them,” he laughed. He leaned into her ear. “I can think of something much better to do with you in bed.”

“Mmhmm,” Emma said, going on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Give me twenty-four hours of sleep and I will very happily agree.”

Killian grunted. “Your plans to defile my daughter are going to have to wait, pirate,” David said from the window. Emma turned, eyes wide and blushing that her father had heard their conversation. She was almost glad she had grown up without him as a teenager. That level of hearing was not something you wanted in your father. He was staring out of the window.

Despite her exhaustion, Emma rushed over and found what her father was looking at - a beam of light shooting from the sky. Emma had a feeling she knew where it was coming from. “No,” she moaned. “I need sleep.”

But sleep would have to wait, because, yet again, the saviour was needed.

XXX

Regina and Emma rushed over there, David with them, leaving Killian and Mary Margaret with the children. The beam got brighter as they approached, whiter and whiter. Emma felt dead on her feet. When Henry had got her into this saviour thing, he had not mentioned the terrible hours.

When they finally arrived, the beam was creating a sort of whirlwind. “What the hell,” Regina cried. Emma shook her head.

“Can we just get rid of this thing?” she shouted. The wind was making so much noise that Emma could hardly hear herself, never mind Regina. Thankfully, Regina only nodded. Emma didn’t know where her father was, somewhere behind her she assumed, probably with his gun out. It was very difficult to be in magic-heavy situations when you didn’t wield any magic of your own.

Emma’s magic must have been running low by this point. She had assumed that was what was tiring her. But, as she called for it with her emotions, it happily arrived, lapping like a wave, even as her body protested expending more energy.

Regina met her eyes and, the second she nodded, Emma thrust out a huge burst of energy, concentrating on destroying the spell so that she could get back to Killian and Liam and Henry and take them all home and sleep. Regina’s magic came out reddish-purple, while Emma’s was a very pale blue, almost white, and the two wove together, like a braid, as they shot towards the huge beam of light breaking out of the farmhouse where they had found Emma’s brother.

The magic just kept flowing out of Emma, even as she felt her body slowly sinking towards the floor. There was no let up in how much was coming out of her, until, finally, the beam of light flashed one last time and disappeared, the vicious wind going with it, and Emma collapsed to the ground.

“Emma!” she heard her father cry as she closed her eyes.

“What the hell is that?”

Emma nearly groaned at Regina’s voice. She forced her eyes open and saw what Regina’s incredulous tone had been describing: a huge billowing cloud of green smoke, far in the distance, but approaching. Genuinely on the edge of tears, Emma said, “What the hell is that, Regina?”

Regina shook her head, sighing. “I would have thought you would recognise it by now. It’s a dark curse.”

XXX

“Where’s Emma?” Killian demanded the second that Regina and David walked into the loft again. Regina gave him a harrowing look that he only quirked an eyebrow at. He was not in the mood for Regina’s sarcasm. He was fed up of having to stay behind while Emma went out and saved the world and did or didn’t return.

David sighed. “Calm down, pirate. She’s - she’s gone to Granny’s. And that’s where we should all go now.”

“David?” Mary Margaret said and there was panic in her voice. She had changed while they had gone, into her pyjamas, while the new baby slept. “What’s going on?”

David dragged a hand through his hair. Killian held Liam close to him, glancing at Henry who was embracing his mother for the second time that night. “Destroying Zelena’s time travel spell created a dark curse. It looks like we’re going back to the Enchanted Forest.” Killian closed his eyes. Emma would not be happy about this at all. “Emma is getting us all a table at Granny’s. We don’t have long left.”

Killian thought that almost sounded like a death sentence. It was what doctors in the Enchanted Forest had said when someone was dying: “he doesn’t have long left”. It was a bad omen. A worse omen was that Swan hadn’t come back to the flat. Killian reckoned she was upset and he wanted to see her as soon as possible.

“Right, let’s go to Granny’s and find Swan then,” he hurried with a fake smile, as though he were okay with this. He and Emma were just starting their lives together. She’d just said she loved him! They had this wonderful thing going and he was so happy and this was going to change everything. Emma was so- What if she decided she didn’t want to be with him? What if she decided to drive out of the town with their sons? Killian would go with her. He would go with her to the ends of the Earth. But she wasn’t going to do that.

This time was different. This time there was nothing that Regina could do, no reverse curse. There was going to be no yellow bug driving out of Storybrooke as the curse descended. There would be no beautiful night before, no painful goodbye. This time they would do it together and Emma would hate it.

They reached David’s truck and all piled into the back, a disgusted look on Regina’s face, but there was hardly a point in getting any other cars. Who knew how long they had left?

How long did Killian have left with Emma? They were returning to the land where he had been an alcoholic, a navyman, a murderer, the scourge of the seas. This was the land where he had loved and lost Milah, where he had lost his hand, where he had lost his brother, the second they had returned from Neverland. The Enchanted Forest was the place where Killian had been the worst of himself.

He had been proud to say, once, that he was wanted in every kingdom of the Enchanted Forest, from Misthaven to Agrabah. Now, that meant that he was returning to a world where he was hated, where he was going to be hunted. What would it mean for Mary Margaret and David, as monarchs of Misthaven, to have their daughter’s - the crown princess’ - partner as a pirate, a wanted man? Would those warrants stand?

Killian wanted to stay. He wanted to stay with Emma and Liam and Henry, to have a family, in their home. Oh Gods, their home. They had spent so long decorating their home until it was perfect. It was perfect for them. They had been so happy.

The road to Granny’s was fast and bumpy. David was usually very good at manning these awful contraptions, but clearly he understood the rush to get to Granny’s, to be with their friends and family for one last time in the Land Without Magic.

When they got to the diner, there was a table set for them. Granny was serving out her lasagna, a taste that Killian had never got used to. He supposed it didn’t matter now. Killian passed Liam into the arms of David when he found that Emma was not in the diner. “Where’s Em-”

Killian had left the diner again before David could finish. He knew where Emma was and she would not want her father with them.

He found her parked car around the corner from Granny’s. He found her inside it and, as he approached, he saw the tears on her cheeks. She didn’t say anything as he entered the car, kept her eyes straight forward, tears slipping down her cheeks. Killian did not see Emma cry very often. She was not a big crier, although she did sometimes cry at movies that she forced him to watch, confusing him mightily. With a sad smile, Killian recognised that movie times were gone for the foreseeable.

“How are you feeling?” Killian asked softly, reached for Emma’s hand. Emma shook her head.

“I’m sorry.” Killian shook his head. “I want to drive away and abandon everything. I want to take our sons and drive back to New York.”

“I know.”

A sob escaped from her throat. “I have spent my whole life moving from place to place. This is the first place I have ever been happy and now I have to leave. Killian, it’s not fair.”

“I know, Swan. I know.”

“What if everything changes?” she said a few moments later, her voice so low that Killian barely heard her. He furrowed his brow at her.

“Everything is changing, love. That’s the issue.”

Emma shook her head. “No, I- I mean with us. I’ll be a princess and-”

Killian felt the pain of rejection flood through his body. He looked away from her, wrenching his hand away. “And I’ll be a pirate and not good enough, I know,” he said bitterly.

Emma tutted loudly, drawing Killian’s head around to her. “I meant that I wasn’t sure if you would want to be with me.”

Killian narrowed his eyes. “Are you insane, Swan?” She pursed her lips. “Where would you get that idea from?”

“Where would you get the idea that you’re not good enough for me?”

Killian laughed and shook his head, leaning over to kiss her. “Swan, I promise nothing will change between us. We’ll live in a palace for a few weeks, get fed up and run away to live on our own on a tiny island.”

“With Liam and Henry,” Emma added. Killian grinned.

“Of course.” Emma smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. Killian’s lips twitched.

“What?” Emma asked, not really looking up at him.

Killian shook his head. “I was only thinking that every pirate’s dream is to fuck a princess.”

The slap he received to his stomach was well deserved.

XXX

The curse that came over the town was green and dark. By the time it had settled over the whole city and Leroy had screamed that it was here, it was as though night had struck the town, despite the sun having just risen. With her hand clapped on Henry’s shoulder, Emma clinged closer to her boyfriend, who had their son in his arm. Her parents stood on their other side, the baby, still unnamed, tight in her mother’s arms. The whole town had gathered there, on Main Street, ready to go to the Enchanted Forest, to deal with whatever the curse had in store for them this time.

Dread bubbled in Emma’s stomach. This would be her first curse. She was scared. Oh she was so scared, more scared than she’d been since she’d left the first time, driven out of the city with Henry and a baby starting to grow beneath her skin. This was not what she had been made for. She was not a princess, no matter what her blood said. She was Emma Swan and she belonged in the Land Without Magic.

But that was over now and she was going to have to adapt. Killian muttered something as the mist grew closer but Emma didn’t hear. She closed her eyes tightly, squeezing Henry’s shoulder. At least she would learn the world with Henry, together as new citizens of the Enchanted Forest.

When her eyes flicked open again, the cobbles of Main Street and the flickering light outside Granny’s had disappeared, to be replaced with grass and forests and birds chiming. Emma swallowed the feeling that she was in a nightmare and looked at her parents, who were embracing as though this were the end of their long story, to return to their homeland. Emma had never felt so far away from them.

She let go of Henry’s shoulder, to let him go to find Regina. Seeing Regina’s ridiculous Evil Queen outfit, and her parents’ middle earth clothing, Emma glanced down to find that she was dressed differently too, though not as a princess as she would have thought. Rather, she matched her dashing boyfriend, in tight leather pants and boots. She had to admit that the corset, while ultimately constricting, made her bosom look very pleasing indeed. From Killian’s admiring looks, she thought that he agreed.

Emma opened her mouth to say something to Killian but the clearing of a throat behind her drew their attention. It was her mother and she had a shining look in her eyes. Behind her, her father had his hands on his wife’s shoulders, also looking characteristically soft and hopeful.

“What?” Emma said cautiously.

Her mother smiled. “We want to show you Home.”

She said it as though it was Emma’s home too. Which it wasn’t. Emma swallowed. She knew that she would have to visit the palace or castle or whatever eventually but that was a bit much for right now. Instead, she blinked a few times and turned to Killian, who looked at her blankly.

“Where’s the Jolly?” she asked curiously. She didn’t look at her parents. She could imagine the disappointment on their faces well enough without seeing it. Killian’s face changed, too, though, a moment of regret passing through his eyes. “What?”

Killian gave her a smile that Emma recognised as fake. “I sold it, lass.”

Emma blinked. “You sold the Jolly?” she said, her jaw hanging open.

Killian’s smile fell, his appearance entirely serious as he said, “Aye.”

“Why?” she asked, dumbfounded.

Killian gave her a sad smile that she identified as genuine. She narrowed her eyes. “Magic beans are expensive items, love.”

It took Emma a moment to process what he was saying. She saw Regina and Henry approach from the corner of her eye. “You-” she shook her head “- you sold your ship to get back to me?”

“Aye,” he confirmed. Emma blinked. It felt like they were the only people in the clearing, though they were most certainly not. The whole of Storybrooke surrounded them. Killian boosted Liam in his arms, securing his leg with the flat side of his hook. Emma’s mind was still processing. He had sold his ship - his livelihood, the only thing he had had for all of his three hundred years - for her, to get back to her.

Her heart was overwhelmed with love - and then purpose. “Let’s get it back.”

“What?”

Emma grinned, suddenly bursting with energy for this plan. “Let’s get the Jolly back.”

“Swan, I sold it. I can’t just get it back,” Killian said, amused.

Emma gestured to her outfit and then to his. “We’re pirates, Hook,” she said, caressing his hook and enjoying the darkness in his eyes. “We’ll take it back.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Absolutely not.”

Henry had barely opened his mouth to beg his mom and Killian to take him with them to find the Jolly Roger when his other mom shot him down resolutely. “Mom,” Henry said, anger flashing in his brain. He had only just got his memories back and he wanted to get to know Killian properly. Sure, he seemed to like his mom well enough and he seemed to be sticking around to look after Liam but Henry barely knew the guy, the real guy, the pirate guy who had nearly abandoned them all to Greg and Tamara’s schemes.

And Henry thought he might actually like him now. The no-memory Henry certainly did so perhaps the Henry with memories would too. After all, he had given his mom a second chance and his grandfather too. He was willing to give Liam’s father a second chance too, especially since that would make his mom happy, and would give Liam a real family, unlike anything Henry had ever had.

“Your mom’s right, Henry,” his birth mom said quietly next to him. Henry turned to her in disgust, furious that she was taking his adoptive mom’s side on this. “We’ve had a whole year together, in New York. It’s time for you to spend some time with your mom, and your dad.”

Henry felt himself scowl. This was the adventure of a lifetime - a hunt for a pirate ship. Henry could only imagine the things that he would be missing out on. This was his birth mom trying to be responsible. This year in New York had given her the experience of being a real mom, where all the responsibility was on her. So, now, she made decisions that were fair and supposedly for Henry, rather than the one that made the most sense and held the most appeal at that moment.

“Oh and I suppose Liam gets to go,” Henry grumbled, looking at his little brother in Killian’s arms, balanced on his pirate father’s hook. Henry had an irrational surge of wishing that Killian was his father, instead of Neal, who he had only argued with while he had no memories. He supposed that he did need to get to know his father properly.

His mom gave him an amused look. “Liam doesn’t have three parents to fight over him. He only has us. You get to stay here and live in two different palaces,” she enthused. Henry scowled. He’d been dreaming of the day that he could be a prince since he’d discovered the curse, but, now, all he wanted was to ride away on a big adventure with his mom.

Glancing around his parents’ faces, including a defiant Neal coming to join them and his grandparents who were uncharacteristically quiet on the subject, Henry knew that he had no choice but to stay. There was no way they were going to let him go. Clenching his fists at his sides, he turned and walked away. If he had to stay, he wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

XXX

Regina watched her son march away with a little bit of pride. Finally, Henry was acting like a teenager. He seemed to have jumped from child to adult, missing out these vital years of moodiness and anger, but here they were. She laughed slightly, watching him sliding down next to a tree, knees to chest, and brooding.

Perhaps Regina had been harsh in not letting him run off with Emma and Hook, but, not only was it unlikely to be safe, she had not spent a significant amount of time with Henry in years. Finally, she was becoming the person he wanted her to be and it was high time he spent enough time with her to see it. She shook her head.

A throat cleared behind her. Eyes widening, Regina turned. The Charmings had wandered off with Swan and Hook a few moments ago. Rather than them, she found Robin Hood staring at her, one eyebrow quirked. Regina flushed.

She had hardly spoken to Robin after he had kissed her awake, had hardly even thought about the prospect of having a true love, especially one who came with a child. It was a pleasant thought but it was not a simple one. Though she had changed, she was still the Evil Queen, especially to the townspeople of Misthaven, and her past crimes were not a simple thing to overcome. What sort of man would want to be with her?

“We didn’t get much time to talk earlier,” Robin said. His accent was unlike any other. Regina supposed it was most similar to Hook’s, but, even then, Robin’s was far more proper, far more attractive. Smiling, Regina met his eyes.

“No,” she agreed. “Everything sped up and here we are.” She held out her hands, gesturing to the environment but also bringing attention to her dress, which was very Evil Queenesque.

“We were happy before,” Robin reminded Regina, referring to the time they had forgotten, taken away from them by the curse. Regina nodded hesitantly. “I think we could be that happy again. I know you, Regina.”

It was a nice thought. Robin did know her, though their time together seemed so long ago, an effect of the curse. They had been happy. He had spent a lot of time in her palace, along with little Roland. Regina’s heart ached slightly at the idea. They could be a family. After all, Robin was her true love.

That was new information. Before, they had simply been together. Now, he was her true love. Regina didn’t know what that meant about Daniel. Did it mean that he had not been? She shook herself mentally. Daniel had been dead for years and their love had been real, just as real as what she shared with Robin.

“You and Roland could come and stay in the palace,” Regina suggested slowly. Robin smiled.

“Could we?” he asked, eyebrows raised, pretending like he had never thought of the idea. Regina narrowed her eyes at his fake tone. He only smiled. “I want to be with you, Regina.”

“Even like this?” Regina asked, looking down at her black gown. She knew that this figure struck fear into the hearts of the bravest townspeople. Robin nodded, reaching up to cup her cheek. He kissed her again, slowly and softly, before pulling away.

“I want to be with all of you, Regina. Even this,” he confirmed, playing with the pleats in her dress. Regina could only smile. When was the last time anybody accepted her for who she was? She wasn’t sure anybody ever had, not since she had become the Evil Queen, anyway. Robin was a man like no other.

XXX

“I just,” Snow started before cutting herself off. David watched her uneasily. He knew that Emma’s decision not to go back to the castle with them had upset her. It had not been David’s favourite choice either, but he knew that they had to let Emma be free at the moment. She didn’t want to be there as it was, never mind as a princess with a castle. David was not sure how Emma would deal with any of that. “Emma, I just want to show you the world you came from.”

Emma smiled. David was glad that she would not be snappish while she disagreed, though David knew that there was no way that Snow could convince Emma that she should come with them, not after Hook had told her that he had sold his ship for her. David felt a niggle of guilt for the way he had treated Hook while he had no memories.

“I’m going to see the world I came from, just from a different perspective,” Emma said, glancing at Hook. “If I’m going to be a princess, I have to understand my people too.” David narrowed his eyes at his daughter. It was a good point, but he had great doubt that it had anything to do with Emma’s decision. David knew his daughter and she was scared and unwilling to come back to the castle with them.

Snow sighed, looking at David who smiled at her. “Snow, she’ll come back and then we can show her the castle. We’ll throw her a ball,” David said, turning to his suddenly scowling daughter. “And then all our people can see that our daughter has come home, in a huge ballgown, with dancing.”

“Fine,” Emma said through gritted teeth. David grinned and Snow’s face brightened. David tightened the baby on his chest, hearing him start to stir. Somehow, he had slept through their journey here. “Can I at least know the baby’s name?”

Snow glanced at David and then back to their son. David scowled. “Leopold,” he said begrudgingly, ignoring Snow’s beaming smile. Hook snorted, drawing a glare out of David.

“You actually went with Leopold?” Emma said in shock, before plastering on a smile and a nice tone, looking at her mother. “It’s lovely,” she lied.

“We’re calling him Leo,” David told her. Emma grinned.

“Leo Nolan.”

David shook his head. “Not in this world, Emma. Leo White of Misthaven.”

“What about your kingdom?” Emma asked.

“King George still lives,” David said. “And, even so, I’m not sure that I will inherit. He may choose a new heir.” David hoped he would. The kingdom did not even border Snow’s. It would be very difficult to reign over both. In other circumstances, they would send an heir to reign one, but, somehow, David didn’t think that Emma and Killian would want to rule a kingdom.

“When are you going to leave?” Snow asked quietly. David knew that she was upset but this was something that they had to do, if they didn’t want Emma to grow bitter and annoyed with them. It would only hurt their relationship to force her to stay.

Emma glanced at her boyfriend, who was holding their child. “Soon.”

“And where are you going?” Snow’s question was directed at Hook, who grinned.

“To Merriport, your majesty.”

David recognised the name of their kingdom’s largest port, where the navy was stationed, and narrowed his eyes. “What are you planning on doing in Merriport?”

Hook smirked. “Why, take ship, of course.”

“On one of our ships?”

“Of course, having a princess at my side has some perks,” Hook said, glancing down at Emma who was looking up at him with interest. Hook had clearly not told her his plan yet. David wondered how long it had taken him to come up with this plan. Possibly he had spent the last twenty minutes or so, since Emma had told him that they were going to go and take back his ship, thinking of it.

David pursed his lips but admitted that it was a good plan. He would rather have Emma on one of his ships than on a stolen one. “And who is going to man your ship?”

Hook’s smirk deepened. “Surely you did not think I entirely abandoned my crew?”

XXX

The nearest town to where they had stopped, in the direction of Merriport, had an inn that Killian told Emma was fairly decent, though it would not have been considered so on Trip Advisor. Only when Killian told Emma some of the horror stories of inns he’d stayed at did she understand that this was the best sort of inn one could find in the Enchanted Forest.

“And it’s not even a whorehouse,” Killian pronounced as they headed into their room. Emma gave him a disbelieving look, ignoring the waggle of his eyebrows. He placed their son down on the cot that had been provided. This was the so-called family room, because it came with one extra bed rather than just one supposedly double bed. In the Land Without Magic, Emma would have called it a three-quarters, at best.

Laughing a bit incredulously, Emma sank down onto the bed, wincing at the quality of the mattress. She closed her eyes, only opening them when she heard Killian’s voice. He approached, spreading her legs so that he could stand between them. He leaned down while she tilted her head upwards so that they could kiss. “Don’t worry, lass,” he murmured against her lips. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to,” she whispered. Killian gave her a sad look. Rather than think about it more, she glanced at Liam to check he was still sleeping and then covered Killian’s lips with her own again, reaching down to squeeze his ass. Killian only chuckled, understanding her intent immediately.

XXX

They hired horses from the same village as they left the next morning and the same horses stayed with them until they reached Merriport. Emma was shocked by how difficult it was to ride a horse. She had always assumed that it took very little skill and she had been horrified by how much pain it caused. For a few days, she hadn’t let Killian touch her, so angry by how sore she felt when she got off her horse, a lovely creature called Lady, each night.

Killian had found Emma’s becoming accustomed to her birthland very amusing, which Emma had not appreciated. After Killian had reminded her multiple times about her laughter at him when he had not understood phones or the TV or Henry’s XBOX, Emma conceded that he may laugh at her some, though she said so with a pout on her face.

He had truthfully been helpful, leading any conversation they had with strangers. Emma had been shocked by how empty villages had been, before Killian reminded her that all of these people lived in Storybrooke. He explained to her about the kingdoms that her parents ruled, about as much of the world as he knew, and about relations between each one. She found it more interesting than she was willing to admit. Soon, she would have to learn everything she possibly could about it, if she was going to be a good princess, of apparently three kingdoms: each of her mother’s parents had brought one kingdom into their marriage and then her father was the heir to King George’s Kingdom. Her mother’s two kingdoms had essentially been merged into one under Queen Snow, a name that Emma was still getting used to, because they were neighbouring and, thus, very easy to rule as one. King George’s kingdom, while not over the seas or particularly far, was further and would be difficult to assimilate when George died.

With every fact that she learned, Emma felt less like she was living in a fantasy land. With every political tension, with every trade agreement, Emma felt as though this was real life, as much as she hated it.

She hated that she had to bathe. There were no showers. Killian had not been sympathetic with her about that. He told her that showering made him feel like someone was throwing a bucket of water over his head and he was pleased to get back to a world of decent hygiene standards. Emma had been truly incredulous when she realised that he was utterly serious.

By the time they found the ship, it had been a month. Killian’s supply of gold coins seemed to be never-ending. Emma had not realised how much each one was worth until he paid with one and received awed looks and so many small silver coins that they had had to share the weight. Killian was rich.

Which was good because inns were expensive. They rode all the way to Merriport and then took a ship, which was thankfully free, though Killian did have to pay the crew who followed them. He also recruited a few people at the docks. It was the first time that Emma really understood that her boyfriend was a captain of men. They all listened to him, respected him, did everything that he said without complaints. He was a captain even before they reached the ship.

One of the crew had married a girl in the Enchanted Forest, who refused to let him leave alone. Killian grumbled to Emma that night about having a woman on the ship and it being bad luck, until Emma reminded him about Milah and about the fact he was taking her on the ship. He rolled his eyes and told her that the captain could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

But the girl had been helpful. She became Emma’s maid - which was entirely unhelpful and Emma hated it - and helped to look after Liam. There were times that Emma did not want Liam to be in a situation, like when they were in the inn at night. For the first few nights, Emma had retired early, with Killian following soon after, because she had not wanted Liam in that environment. Now, her maid, Delia, did that every other night. It was really very helpful.

And, even more so, when Emma and Killian’s crew launched an attack on Blackbeard to take back the Jolly Roger. They had chased rumours for a few weeks, until they had finally tracked Killian’s ship to a kingdom near Agrabah, called Urvashi, where Blackbeard had been sighted.

The attack was bloody and really proved to Emma that her swordfighting was not good enough. She had been desperate to find her son afterwards, to hold him and tell him that she loved him, after so many close calls with death.

But then they had the ship and they left Emma’s father’s ship in the capable hands of Smee and the crew, while they hired a new one for the Jolly, because Killian would not trust just anyone with Emma’s ship, explaining to Emma that he himself had stolen the Jolly Roger, when it had been the Jewel of the Realm.

XXX

One night on the return journey to her parents, Emma woke up and it was still dark. She found the bed beside her empty, an odd occurrence when the sun was still away. Killian was a good sleeper and rarely woke up before dawn. She stood and wandered through his cabin to the cradle that he had bought for Liam, only to find her son missing too. Perhaps Liam had woken Killian.

Emma crept above deck in her nightgown, apparently the only pyjamas that women wore in the Enchanted Forest. She found the sea still around her, no land or ship in sight. Even her father’s ship was no longer in sight. The Jolly Roger was, as Hook had attested, the fastest ship in all the realms.

She found Hook with their son at the wheel, his whispering a gentle hush in the air. She approached slowly, not wanting to spook him. “Evening,” she whispered when she was behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head over his shoulder, so she could see the bright blue eyes of their son.

“Evening,” he replied, leaning around to kiss her lightly. “Your son woke up.”

“My son,” Emma commented with amusement. Killian hummed. “What are you whispering about?”

Killian smiled. “I was teaching our son how to sail.” Emma grinned. “I can’t have your father turning him into a prince before I get the chance to make him a pirate.”

“He could join the navy and be a mixture,” Emma suggested, kissing his shoulder. Killian smiled and then pulled away from her, turning around.

“Do you want to get married?” he asked and he had a curious tone in his voice. Emma blinked.

“Married?” she repeated.

Killian shrugged. “I was considering asking for your hand but you are awfully changeable. Often I think I know what you want and I am entirely incorrect.”

“This is the worst proposal I’ve ever received.”

“Have you ever received a proposal at all, Swan?”

Emma drew her lips together. “Perhaps I do want to get married.”

“Perhaps?” Killian said incredulously.

Emma shrugged innocently. “You won’t know until you ask.” Killian narrowed his eyes and Emma smiled sweetly.

Sighing, Killian passed Liam into Emma’s arms. She felt excitement burrow into her chest as he got down onto one knee. Emma looked around her. The sea was still and the stars were bright in the sky. This was the sort of story that would go in Henry’s book.

“Will you marry me, Emma?” he asked softly. He had a ring. Emma wasn’t sure where he’d got it but it was terribly pretty, silver and dark blue.

Emma beamed, her eyes becoming wet. Nothing in her mind was screaming at her to say no. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Killian. This was just making that official. She held her hand out. “Yes.”


	15. Chapter 15

Emma twisted the gold band on the fourth finger of her left hand. Misthaven was coming into sight; the Golden Hind of Merriport, the inn that they had stayed at on their outward journey, clear in her sight. Emma also saw the ship they had taken last time, the one they had boarded and sailed off on, in the name of her parents.

Playing with her ring had become a nervous habit, as playing with her necklace-keyring had been, when she still had it. She found herself doing it subconsciously. She hadn’t noticed until Killian pointed it out a few days ago. Before that, she hadn’t had much to be nervous about.

The journey on the Jolly Roger was smoother than their previous journey, and far faster. The only reason that they were arriving after the navy ship was their week-long stay in Agrabah, where they had married and travelled as a sort of honeymoon. Emma doubted the navy ship had beaten them there by many days.

The week in Agrabah had been very peaceful, and three weeks on the ship after that. It was only this last week that Emma’s nerves had started to swell, at the thought of returning to Misthaven, which was now not only her home, but her kingdom. She was the princess of Misthaven. The responsibility of being sheriff in Storybrooke had seemed a lot. This was ten or twenty times worse.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Killian said, startling her out of her thoughts. Emma smiled as she turned. She drew close to her new husband and encircled his waist with her arms.

“I just wish I could be a pirate instead of a princess,” Emma said with a small chuckle at her own ridiculousness. Killian grinned at her, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “Where is Liam?”

“Driving the crew doolally below decks,” he replied. Emma grinned, tightening her hold on Killian. “I’ll go and collect the lad. The sooner we get riding, the sooner we can reach the palace.” Emma groaned, pushing her face into his chest. She was looking forward to seeing her parents, truly, but the palace came along with a hundred other trappings that Emma did not want. However, she would ride hard for the palace, if only to hug her mother and father and to see how her baby brother had grown.

Killian left her a few moments later and she lay her hand on her chest for a moment, slowing her breathing and trying to think clearly. There were worse things in the world - especially in this world - than being a princess. As long as she thought of it as this world’s version of a sheriff, then she was sure she could cope.

XXX

They arrived at the palace just over a day later, after staying in an inn overnight so that they could arrive at her parents’ awake and alert. Hardly a mile after crossing the border into the capital of her mother’s kingdom, where the castle rose impressively in the distance, Emma found that they were greeted by some of her mother and father’s servants, who would accompany them to the castle. Emma wondered if they had a spy network who had informed them the second that Emma and Killian had ridden into their boundary. They must have. It was quite a jarring thought that her parents had spies, like any other world leader. Because, in this world, that was what they were: world leaders.

Every inch more that Emma saw of the castle that was supposedly going to be their home, the more she remembered that this had been her dream once. When she was small and the only retreat she had at the foster homes and orphanages had been story books, she had pretended that her mother was a princess who was on the run from bad men, that her father was a king and she was the daughter that had been stolen from him and he was looking for her. She had to blink back tears as she was accepted into the gates that enclosed magnificent gardens and a gleaming castle. It was unbelievable to think that that little girl’s wish came true - and, now, all her heart wanted was the wonderful ship that was bobbing in the water at Merriport.

Her parents stood at the top of marble steps, in full regalia. Emma’s heart quickened in her chest. She was still wearing her pirate adornments, full leather and an emerald vest, with boots that were far comfier than anything she had ever worn in the Land Without Magic. Perhaps she should have stopped somewhere - a shop? a tailors? - to have a dress made. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass her parents.

By the time she entered, she had discovered that it was too late to avoid that. She heard the whispers of the crowd that had come, courtiers that supposedly lived within her parents’ court, in the palace for part of the year, always there. The whispers told her that her children were bastards, that her lover was a murderer, that she herself had been to prison.

Many of these people had been in Storybrooke, but more had not. Lots of them didn't know her, didn’t know what she had done for the people of Storybrooke.

“I don’t understand,” Emma said, unable to keep frustration from her tone. Today, at least, she had hoped to spend in peace with her parents and Henry, ideally, but she discovered that he was at least a day’s ride away, at Regina’s, and that was if she rode all day and didn’t breathe her horse. “Why does it matter if Henry and Liam were born before I was married?”

“The people say-”

“But Henry and Liam are never going to be king,” Emma said, glancing at Killian. “Leo will be king.”

David nodded wearily. “We know, Emma. We just thought we would tell you what the people are saying.”

“I don’t even want to be their princess!” David and Snow shared a look, irritating Emma no end. Before they could say anything, Emma continued, “And, anyway, it doesn’t matter now. Killian and I got married.”

Her parents froze and then tore their eyes from each other, slowly turning to look at Emma who pointed her left hand at them, showing her single ring that matched Killian’s. “You got married?” her father repeated.

Emma nodded and then she understood why her parents weren’t thanking her for ridding them of the legitimacy problem, for stopping the gossip. She had got married without her parents there. It had hardly been a thought for her at the time. All she had wanted was to marry Killian, simply. Nobody else had needed to be there because it was only about her and Killian. But now, her heart suddenly ached. Her mother should have put on her veil. Her father should have walked her down the aisle.

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. We should have waited for you to be there.” Her mother nodded tightly. “We just wanted to get married.”

Her father cleared his throat. “Where did you do it?”

“Agrabah,” Emma said quietly. Her father’s eyebrows shot up. “We spent a week there. It was beautiful.”

“We could have another wedding,” her mother suggested slowly, glancing between Emma and David. “We had two weddings.”

Emma glanced at Killian, who was holding Liam. She raised her eyebrows and he shrugged. “I’d happily marry you a second time, love, if it means we get a second honeymoon.”

Emma blushed slightly, trying and failing to hide a grin at the thought. She ignored the glares that her father was shooting at Killian. A second wedding would not be the worst thing, if it meant they could do it properly and, between then and the wedding, they would still be married and her parents could hardly complain if they shared chambers in the castle.

“We have something to tell you too,” her mother said suddenly, her voice growing in volume. Emma turned to them, eyebrows raised, hoping it was better than the first piece of news, about the kingdom’s lack of happiness at their princes’ bastard nature. “I’m pregnant again.”

Emma’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. Her eyes shot to her father who was smiling widely. “Amazing,” she said honestly, though a small part of her wondered whether they would need her at all with all these children, particularly if they had a girl. They would have their perfect little princess then.

XXX

Emma entered her mother’s chamber, ignoring the odd look she received from the guard who was outside of it. Emma found it almost inconceivable that her parents had guards outside their chambers day and night. They had been instructed to let her in practically whenever she wanted so the guard stepped aside easily, though the look he had given her was quite puzzling.

She had worn one of the dresses that her mother had provided her with, with a corset. She was gradually getting used to corsets, although the thought that they were actually bad for her was a niggling thought in the back of her brain. Perhaps she would learn to use her magic so that she could maintain the illusion of a corset without actually wearing one.

Given that she was adorned as a princess should be, Emma couldn’t imagine why the guard had looked at her so oddly. Of course, he could, like many others, think that she was an embarrassment to the royal family because she had two children out of wedlock and a pirate as a lover.

“Emma!” her mother gasped upon seeing her. Emma whipped her head around, expecting there to be something behind her to have caused such a volatile reaction from her mother. She raised her eyebrows at her mother, confused. “Your hair.”

“Oh,” Emma said, nodding. “Sorry, we- erm, we got up late and I had a delayed bath, so it’s still wet. I could probably dry it with my magic but I don’t want to risk it and lose all my hair.” It was Killian’s fault that she got up late. For the first time in a month, they were not sharing their bedroom with a small child and Killian had made full use of it that morning. Emma ducked her head, blushing.

Her mother cleared her throat, approaching Emma and leading her over to her dressing table, where Emma sat down, happy to go along with whatever her mother wanted, for now. It was easier than arguing. She met her mother’s eyes in the large ornate mirror and was then surprised when her mother started to mess with her hair. Really, she shouldn’t have expected anything else.

“Married women always have their hair away from their face,” Snow explained. Emma’s raised her eyebrows.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Her mother shook her head. “It’s not important.” Emma quite enjoyed the feel of her mother doing her hair. From her mother’s style, Emma thought that she could have the majority of her hair down against her back, provided the front was up and away. It was more practical anyway.

They were in silence while Snow braided Emma’s hair into two French braids. Emma would have complained of looking like a five-year-old on her first day of kindergarten, had she not so often dreamed of a mom to braid her hair when she was young. She had never managed it herself.

“I wanted to talk to you,” Snow said when they were finished and Emma was standing, playing with the ends of her braids. When she looked at herself, she thought she looked like she was playing dress-up princess. “Your father and I wondered if you wanted to go on a diplomatic trip.” Emma furrowed her brow. “To Arendelle on a state visit.”

Emma bit her lip. She had loved being in Agrabah and exploring. She had loved being with her son and husband on their ship and seeing marvelous things. If she could combine that with helping her parents, it would not be the worst thing in the world. She nodded slowly.

“Okay. When would we need to go?”

Her mother’s cringe made dread burn in Emma’s stomach. “Now.”

“Now?” Emma repeated. “I haven’t even seen Henry yet. I can’t leave now.”

She shook her head. “In a few days then. There are - things happening in Arendelle and your father and I are needed here. I need you to do this, Emma.”

Emma nodded slowly. “I could take Henry with me, couldn’t I?” Her mother cringed again. “Mom!”

She ignored the softening of her mother’s face, especially as she said, “I think you should leave Liam behind too.”

“No,” Emma said in horror. “Mom, you can’t ask me to leave my child behind. He- he’d think I had abandoned him. Killian will never agree.”

XXX

Emma arrived back in her chambers, her throat burning with tears which kept threatening to leak. She rushed to her baby immediately, picking him up from his game of blocks and cradling him to her. Killian looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“What did your mother say, Swan?”

She tore her face away from Liam’s dark downy hair. “She wants us to go to Arendelle.”

Killian grinned. “Excellent.”

Emma made a face at him, confused. She glanced at Liam but he gave her no further insight. “What’s so great about Arendelle?”

Killian shrugged. “Good ale, good inns, etcetera.”

“Good whores,” Emma added in a sing-song voice. Killian quirked a brow at her.

“Love, do you think I have ever had to pay a lass for a night?” Emma pursed her lips to hide her smile. “But good barmaids do generally go along with good ale and good inns.”

Emma tutted. “And I suppose there will be a few women in every town who will be expecting you to warm their beds.”

“Hmm,” Killian confirmed, approaching her and kissing her softly on the lips, “Aye. But there will only be one bed for me to warm.”

“It is always warm in that tiny cabin bed,” Emma said with a groan as he moved his mouth to her neck. She placed one hand on his chest and pushed him away lightly. “Because there is no room for two people. Can we please get a bigger bed?”

Killian groaned, taking their child from her and putting him back down with his blocks. He then returned to her, wrapping his arms around her and burrowing his face into her neck. “When do we leave?”

Emma sighed. “When we’ve seen Henry.”

Killian cursed lowly and, together, they looked at their son, innocently smiling, not knowing that they were about to leave him. Emma felt tears rise in her throat again. “I’m not sure I can leave him,” Killian said to her and Emma’s sob escaped its confines. Killian turned to her, eyes wide. “Oh, Swan.”

He held her for a long while, the two of them just watching Liam play.

XXX


	16. Chapter 16

Henry’s chambers at Regina were the chambers of a prince. The door was carved intricately, with waves and trees and books and Henry’s name in the centre, and it was answered by a man who Emma did not know but who introduced himself as Henry’s tutor, a short man in clothes finer than Emma had ever seen. Behind the door was a cozy study, with a fire blazing, and a bookshelf full of books. The window was unobscured by the thick, red drapes that sat on each side of it. And, in the centre, sitting on a plush-seated, straight-backed chair, at a stone-slab of a table, furnished with rich ornaments and candles, was a boy that Emma could hardly recognise, a boy wearing a red velvet vest, a billowing shirt and polished black boots. It was the bored look on his face, the irresistible scruffiness of his hair that made Emma grin, her heart leap and a cry of “Henry!” to escape from her mouth.

His head jerked up from the book that he was studying. His eyes widened and he jumped up. “Mom!” he cried out. The tutor excused himself with hardly a word and Emma ignored him, taking her baby boy into her arms with no restraint. “You’re home,” Henry said fondly as he burrowed his head into her neck. He was taller than he had been when she left.

She pulled back, eager to see any other changes. He had yet to start growing a beard but she could hear the starts of his voice dropping. It made her heart twinge, wishing she did not have to leave him yet again. Henry was studying her too and Emma saw the exact moment that he noticed the ring on her finger. His face dropped, brows furrowing.

“You got married? To Killian?”

Emma nodded, smiling slightly. She reached with her other hand to twist at the ring, her most beloved possession. “In Agrabah.”

“Agrabah,” Henry repeated, aghast. “Did you- Aladdin, Jasmine,” he said, trailing off.

Emma grinned. She shook her head. “We did not go to the palace. We didn’t meet Aladdin or Jasmine, no, if they even exist. While I was away, I wasn’t a princess of Misthaven. I was a pirate.”

“And a pirate’s wife, now,” Henry said with a laugh. “You know it’s bad luck for a woman to be on a ship?”

Emma rolled her eyes, cuffing Henry round the head. “You sound like my husband.” Henry grinned.

“Where is Killian? And Liam? Are they here?” he asked eagerly.

Emma nodded. “I left them with your other mom. We’d best go check she hasn’t incinerated Killian yet.”

Henry laughed. Emma wrapped an arm around her son’s shoulders, squeezing tightly, as they left the chambers, passing Henry’s protesting tutor. “He’s taking the rest of the day off,” she called back to him and was gratified by the sound of a huff coming from the squat man.

“He won’t be happy with me tomorrow,” Henry said, though he didn’t sound irritated, only amused.

“What’s with the tutor anyway? Are you too cool to go to school now you’re a prince of two kingdoms?” she teased, poking his side.

Henry rolled his eyes. “Royals don’t go to school here. Every kid at court has a tutor.” Emma furrowed her brow.

“Oh.”

They reached the sitting room from where Liam’s giggles emanated quickly enough. “Henry!” Killian cried out happily. Henry grinned and Emma watched, pleased, as her husband and her son embraced, with a bump of their fists on each other’s back, and then as her elder son stole Liam and danced around Regina’s sitting room with him, under the amused eyes of Regina and Robin. Emma greeted her husband with a soft kiss, only breaking apart when Regina scoffed.

“You’ve hardly been apart for ten minutes.”

“I’ve heard all newlyweds are like that,” Henry said. Emma’s eyes fluttered closed at the gasp from Regina. She met eyes with Killian who gave her a wry smile.

“You’re married?” Regina demanded. Emma nodded, lifting her hand to show the ring that announced her marriage to Killian. “When did this happen?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“Well, you have had a nice break,” she said. Emma rolled her eyes. “I’ll bet Snow was furious that you got married without her.”

Emma bit back a laugh. “Enough to demand a second wedding.”

“A second wedding?” Henry repeated, excited. “When? Soon?”

Emma shot Killian a guilty look. “I’m afraid not, kid. Me and Killian have to go to do some work for Mary Margaret and David.”

“Work? What kind of work?”

“We have to go to Arendelle and sort some things out there.”

“But- You’ve only just got back.” His voice was quiet now and he put Liam down on the sofa next to him, the little boy pouting. “When are you going?”

Emma swallowed roughly. “We have to go really soon.”

Henry scoffed, his face clearing of any excitement that he had been feeling at Emma’s return. “Brilliant. Go then,” he snapped, before turning and storming out of the room. Emma’s wide eyes followed him, her whole body flinching at the sound of the slammed door.

“What the hell…”

Regina tutted. “He’s been like that for weeks now, every time he’s with me.” Emma turned her head to Regina, who shrugged. Emma could see the sadness behind her shrug. “I don’t let him do half the things that Neal does, so he isn’t happy with me. That was the happiest I’d see him in weeks.” Robin nodded solemnly at Regina’s side.

“What is Neal letting him do?” Emma asked tightly, her jaw set as she scooped Liam up from the sofa. She met Killian’s eyes and he was giving her a warning look, but it was too late. As Regina spoke, Emma felt anger rising like a swirling fire inside her. The ends of her fingers tingled, making Liam giggle in her arms.

XXX

Emma threw a burst of magic at Rumplestiltskin’s castle doors and they flew open. “Neal!” she screamed. Liam and Killian trailed behind her. She had transported them there magically, something she had not done to reach Regina’s. Her magic had been tempestuous lately, sometimes exponentially strong and sometimes not accessible at all. She thought it was because of her conflicting emotions of being in the Enchanted Forest and her joy at marrying Killian. Whatever reason it was, it didn’t matter now, not with metal-hot anger burning in her veins.

“Calm down, dearie.”

Rumple popped up not far in front of her. Emma growled and he chuckled, tapping his fingers together. He was green and scaly, the way Killian had told him he had always looked in the Enchanted Forest. “I’m not here for you, Gold,” she said.

“You’re here for my son.”

“Yes. Where is he?”

“I’m here,” Neal’s voice said, coming up slowly behind Rumple. “What’s all the shouting about? When did you get back, Ems?” Emma could hear Killian’s irritation at the nickname.

“I’m sure they’re here to announce their happiness since the wedding,” Rumple said, his eyes narrowing. Emma could see why Killian called the man a crocodile. She felt hatred stirring in her chest, for all the destruction this man had caused. 

“Wow, you got married,” Neal said with a laugh. She could see surprise written over his features. “What happened to the Emma Swan I knew, who swore off marriage and ‘all that other romantic crap’?”

Emma ignored the way he quoted her words, the way he had remembered them. “I’m not here to talk about that,” she said dismissively. “I’m here to talk about Henry.”

Neal’s face dropped. “Is he okay?” He looked between Emma and Killian. “Where is he? He’s supposed to be at Regina’s. He’s not here.”

“I know he’s not here,” Emma said impatiently. “I’m not sure I want him to come here again.”

“Careful, dearie,” Rumple interrupted. Emma turned her fury upon him and he only smirked. “Wouldn’t want to say something you don’t mean, now would you? Especially not when Baelfire is the one who has been looking after the boy while you’ve been off gallivanting with your alcoholic pirate.” Magic flicked at the end of Emma’s fingers. “Might want to get that under control, Miss Swan, else you might hurt somebody when feeling particularly - emotional.” His eyes flickered to Killian, or to Liam in his arms. Emma ignored the comment, turning back to Neal.

“I’d thank you for helping to look after Henry if you weren’t taking him out drinking and whoring.”

“Woah,” Neal said, putting his hands up. “I’ve never taken anyone whoring. If you’re looking for whoremongers, you can look to your husband.”

“That’s enough,” Emma snapped. “We’re here to talk about Henry and why he is drinking when he’s with you.”

“Everybody drinks here, Ems.”

“Not my son.”

“Everybody,” Neal emphasised and held his hand up to Killian, as though to use him as an example.

“You make one more fucking comment,” Emma said, raising her hand. Magic was coming off in sparks. Rumple smirked. Emma put her hand down, laying it flat against her side. “I am Henry’s mother. I decide whether he drinks and I say that he does not.”

“Maybe you could police that if you were here.”

“I was letting Henry spend some time with his father and his other mom. Stop treating my son like he’s your friend and not your child.” Emma turned on her tail and headed back towards the door, feeling too angry to continue.

“Go on, little puppy,” she heard in Gold’s disgusting voice and stopped. “Follow your bitch.”

The magic was coming from her before she even knew she’d turned. It hit neither Gold nor Neal but went directly in between them, a huge scorch mark appearing on the wall. Emma smirked and swirled her hand in the air, in a mockery of Rumple, transporting her family back to Regina’s.

XXX

Emma stormed out of Henry's chambers, her anger making her green eyes flare. She was intensely beautiful when she was like this, although unfortunately too furious for it to be the right time to bring it up. It was only when she got close that her eyes got wet and she pressed the heels of her palms into them. Killian sighed. "Love." She shook her head. "I'll go."

And he was gone before Emma could protest, leaving her with Regina and Robin, and Liam who was playing with Robin's son. Killian darted into Henry's chambers, glancing around in appreciation.

"This is nicer than anywhere I ever lived," he said with a whistle. Henry gave a little sniffle of a laugh and Killian approached where he sat in the window seat. Henry gave him a glance but said nothing while Killian perched awkwardly next to him. "So your mum was pretty upset."

"Did she send you in here?" the lad asked grumpily.

Killian shook his head. "No, I wanted to talk to you myself."

"Why? You going to tell me that alcohol is terrible? Because the hip flask in your pocket makes you a bit of a hypocrite."

Killian barked out a laugh, patting his pocket where there was indeed a hip flask filled with rum. "You're right, Henry. I- did you know that I was in the navy?"

"With your brother right, before you went to Neverland?"

Killian nodded. "Yes. But before that, me and my brother, our father sold us as slaves onto this ship and, before we could join the navy, we had to buy our lives back because this pirate captain owned us."

"You were a slave?" Henry said quietly.

“Our father sold us to pay off some debts and escape. Anyway, Liam and I had just got enough money to go and enlist and we’d be able to leave and make a name for ourselves, but, the day that Liam went to enlist us, our captain- well, Liam said he tricked me but it was my fault. He offered me rum and I - Henry, I have an odd relationship with the stuff. I drank and I gambled and, by the time Liam returned, I was passed out on the ship deck with no money left.” Henry watched him with careful eyes.

Killian cleared the lump in his throat. “Lad, I’m not saying you’ll ever do anything like that. I know you’re far more sensible than I was at your age. Hells, you’re more sensible than me now, but I just- I just want you to know that alcohol leads to bad decisions and just because you can do something does not mean that you should.”

Henry swallowed and nodded. “Is Mom really upset with me?”

Killian sighed. “I’d suggest a big apology, lad.”

Henry nodded and then was silent for a moment. Killian stretched as though to leave when Henry said, “Could I join the navy?”

Killian relaxed back into the seat, turning to look Henry in the eyes. He looked serious. “The navy?”

“Princes all do a year in the navy when they’re thirteen. Robin told me.” Killian chuckled. He doubted that Regina had asked Robin to tell Henry that. He knew that Emma would be furious but the navy had been the making of Killian, for a time.

“Henry, if you truly want to go and serve in the navy for a time, I’ll back you to your mother.”

“You will?”

Killian nodded, slapping Henry on the back. “Of course, but it’s not just sailing, you know. There’s lots of hard parts about the navy.”

“I know.” Killian inclined his head, impressed with the lad despite himself.

“Okay, come on then. I’m sure your moms are going to need time to adjust to this.”

XXX

“I cannot believe you,” Emma said as she climbed into their bed together. They had decided to stay the night at Regina and Robin’s rather than head home. That way, they had a bit longer with Henry, before they left again. Killian sighed. “I cannot believe that you did not talk him down.” Killian opened his mouth to speak but Emma wasn’t finished. “You’re supposed to be my husband. You’re supposed to always be on my side.”

Killian gave her an incredulous look and then exhaled. “Swan, the navy was good for me.”

“Until you became a pirate,” Emma grumbled.

Killian met her eyes and she scowled to hide her smile. “Henry deserves to live like a prince if he wants to.”

“And what a ridiculous rule that all princes-”

“This is our life now,” Killian interrupted, hating the way that Emma broke his gaze. “We have to start getting used to it.”

“I don’t want to,” Emma said stubbornly. “I want to stay in one house with you and Liam and Henry and never leave.”

Killian rolled his eyes. “Okay, Swan,” he said, moving closer and grabbed her around the waist, his stump batting against her rib cage. “You carry on being ridiculous.” She laughed, hitting him on the back.

“We could run away,” his wife said dreamily. Killian met her eyes and saw her levity. “Me and you and Liam and Henry, become pirates.”

“We are pirates,” Killian said, reaching up to squeeze her breast. She met his eyes, the green there darkening. “Swan,” he started before cutting himself off.

“What?” Emma asked, moving her body so that it was flat against his. She arched her hips in a very satisfying manner.

“Would you ever want another child?”

“Another Liam?” she said dumbly. Killian snorted.

“It’s okay if-”

“Yes,” she answered.

Killian grinned. “When?”

Emma met his eyes and arched her hips again. “We could start practising now.” Killian leaned down to kiss her, rolling her fully beneath him.

“Good idea, lass.”

XXX


	17. Chapter 17

Arendelle was so much more than Emma had expected it to be. As they drew up close to it, the gleaming white mountains made her breath stop. The small village, with its wooden houses and tall timbered structures, was as fairy tale as it came. The harbour was well organised, too, and made from finer material. It was clear to Emma how much the ogre wars had hit her parents’ kingdoms because they were far inferior to what she could see of Arendelle.

At the harbour, they were greeted by Queen Elsa and her sister, Princess Anna. Emma completed a hasty curtsey, which was not her specialty, no matter how many times the crew of the Jolly Roger had laughingly attempted to teach her, along with other basic fairy tale manners that every child knew but Emma did not. “Your highness,” Queen Elsa said as Emma stood tall again. The thought of being referred to as your highness, by a queen nonetheless, made Emma bristle slightly but she smiled.

“Your majesty,” she replied. “It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Emma, Princess of Misthaven, and this is my husband, Captain Killian Jones.”

Killian bowed for a second time and then kissed Queen Elsa’s hand. “I welcome you to our kingdom. This evening, I would like to dine with you, personally, with my sister and her husband. Tomorrow, there will be a ball to celebrate our friendship.”

Emma agreed. She was here to form an alliance, hopefully, and every step she took further into the kingdom made her understand why that was necessary. Misthaven was a broken shambles of a kingdom, in comparison to the gleaming streets and bustling markets of Arendelle.

The castle’s gates opened as their carriages arrived, Emma’s hand clasped firmly in Killian’s. They had their own carriage, thankfully, meaning that Emma could ask Killian how she had done with her manners. His experience in the navy was very helpful to her.

A footman helped Emma out of the carriage, reminding her of what a hindrance her dress was, though it was spectacularly beautiful. It was the first time she had worn it, as she had lived in her leathers while they made the journey to Arendelle.

Princess Anna took Emma’s arm once the footman had helped her regain her footing. Emma watched with jealousy while Elsa took Killian’s arm. Anna gave her a huge smile. “I am so glad you are here, Princess Emma. There are very few princesses my age across the kingdoms, because of the ogre wars, although they didn’t reach here. I will be happy to have a friend.” Emma agreed with a smile, too, though privately she thought that she didn’t need any more friends and especially not one who chatted so quickly and merrily.

“You have a son don’t you?” Anna said, raising her brows. Emma smiled at the thought. Leaving Henry and Liam had been incredibly difficult.

“Yes, two, in fact,” she said. “Liam and Henry.”

“And is Captain Jones a good father? Kristoff and I want to have children but we’ve had to be supportive of Elsa for a while now. Things were difficult-” Anna cut herself off. “Sorry, I have a tendency to rattle on.”

Emma laughed with wide eyes. She could not fault Anna’s enthusiasm. “Killian is a very good father,” Emma said with a smile. She did not mention that Henry was not Killian’s son. It was very likely that she already knew, given the speed of gossip. She likely knew something, anyway, because Henry lived most often at Regina’s and he was her heir.

“How did you know that you loved him? Was it romantic? Was he truly a pirate?” she asked this question with wide, eager eyes and a slight flush on her face. Emma was reminded by how much she had pushed boundaries by marrying a man who was not only not a prince or a duke, but who had been a criminal.

Emma cleared her throat. They reached the steps up to the palace. Before Emma could answer any of Anna’s enthusiastic questions, Elsa cut in, “Princess Emma, would you like to wash up before we eat?”

Emma let out a sigh. “Yes,” she said, relieved, “That would be wonderful.”

XXX

“She seems nice,” Killian commented as he messed around with his necktie. Emma batted his hands away and came to do it herself. “This is why I don’t wear such strangling things.” His words came out in a grumble and they reminded Emma of what a sacrifice he had made in marrying her. She kissed him lightly and then pulled away, looking into his eyes.

“I love you.”

Killian blinked. “I love you too, lass.”

“And Anna is nice,” she said, finishing with Killian’s tie. She smoothed down the creases in her dress, her second outfit of the day so far. She had had to change for lunch and would have to change again between meals and then again for the final meal of the day, before a final change for bed. It was a very different life than Emma had lived thus far in the Enchanted Forest, although she had noticed that her parents changed for meals, during the few days she had spent with them between voyages. Perhaps they were not asking her to do so, at the moment, for fear that it would overwhelm her.

It didn’t overwhelm her. It only irritated her. What was the point of it? To show off how many clothes somebody had? One look at the trunks that Emma’s mother had provided her with would have been good enough for that. Apparently, while Emma had been away, her mother had commissioned her a lot of clothing - more than Emma could have ever imagined herself needing. However, now that she had seen how often royals changed clothes, she suddenly understood why she had so much.

“You look marvelous, Swan,” Killian said. His necktie matched her aquamarine dress, making Emma feel a bit like she was about to leave for prom. Killian smiled at her, approaching her again to put his hand and hook on her waist. “You ready for this?”

“I think so,” Emma said with a long exhale of breath. Killian had been training her on etiquette since they’d arrived. She thought that she finally understood the different cutlery, crockery and general manners required to survive here now. The only real thing that scared her now was dancing but that was a problem to conquer that evening, when Emma’s mother had reliably informed them that there would certainly be a ball, to celebrate their arrival. If not, it was supposed to be considered rude. Emma would not have found it rude at all. In fact, she would welcome an early night in a big, cozy bed with her husband.

But it was not to be.

The steward came to collect them and Emma inhaled deeply, plastering on a fake smile that turned real when she saw her husband doing the same. They were in this together, for her family, and they would survive together, as a family.

XXX

The day flew away. Emma could not believe how many Arendelle lords and ladies had come to the palace to see them. Princess Anna had informed them that many had travelled specifically for this, not only to be at court generally. Anna told them that foreign visitors always attracted guests because of the balls and events that went on throughout the visit.

She and Killian had spent the day with the Queen, Princess and Anna’s husband Kristoff and had gone from lunch with them to an afternoon tea with a duke and duchess to a ceremonial opening of the new town hall in Arendelle with the mayor. Finally, they had reached their chambers, got changed yet again and stumbled down to the ball, where they had restrained themselves from gorging on the meals and eaten very politely, filling themselves slowly, until the dancing began.

Emma stiffened immediately. “Everyone is going to think I’m a fool,” Emma hissed at Killian as Queen Elsa announced that they would open the ball. Killian chuckled at her. The easy smile on his face made Emma want to scream. How could he not see that they were about to embarrass themselves?

“Don’t worry, lass,” he said, standing and offering her his hand. “All you need is a partner who knows what he’s doing.”

Emma bit her lip to contain her smile but the corners of her mouth betrayed her. Killian grinned at her. Her red evening dress swished pleasantly against the floor as they headed to the centre of the room. The band - if it could be called a band, given that it was only harps and small guitars - started playing more loudly and Emma let out a shaky breath.

It was easier than she had expected. She just followed Killian and they were only alone on the dance floor for a minute or so. Even with everybody’s eyes on her, the only person she was focussing on was Killian. She didn’t take her eyes from his, while she tried to move her feet in the right way.

When it was over, it felt as though it had barely begun. Emma almost wanted to go again. It was more fun than she had anticipated. She had been in Killian’s arms in a socially acceptable way. “What are you thinking?” Killian asked, his arm around her waist as he led her over to the drinks table.

“That we are a good team,” Emma replied, smiling up at him. He grinned down at her while he poured them their drinks. “And about how much I want to kiss you right now.” Emma watched his eyes go darker. She took her drink from him and sipped at it, not taking her eyes from him.

“Is that all you wanna do right now?” Killian murmured. Emma narrowed her eyes, feeling her body heat up. She glanced around them, though, and then turned back to him with raised brows.

“I think we might need to stick around here for a little while longer.”

Killian gave a long, fake sigh that made Emma grin. “I suppose I can cope with that, lass.” Emma impulsively kissed him, hardly having to stretch in her heels. Killian was pink when she pulled away a few seconds later and Emma had to giggle at the sight of him.

“Lass, everyone is looking at us now,” he whispered in her ear as they returned to the dance floor. “Most people don’t kiss at balls.”

Emma smiled. They joined as the song was starting and got into position. “I’m not most people.”

“You most certainly are not,” Killian agreed as they began to move.

XXX

“So, what do you do?” Emma asked a bit helplessly. She and Killian had been separated to Emma’s general malcontent. Killian had gone into the village with Kristoff, while Emma remained behind with Anna. Elsa was in her chambers, taking a day to herself, which Anna claimed was necessary for the general well being of the kingdom. It was a very odd place, this Arendelle.

“I am a princess,” Anna said with a blink, her eyes going wide with innocence. “Did I not tell you? I’m Elsa’s sister.”

Emma had to laugh. “No, you told me,” she said. Anna let out a great sigh of relief. “I just- what does being a princess entail? I’m new to this and you, well, your sister seems to rely on your support quite a bit. I want to help my - my mother like that.”

“Oh,” Anna said, her tone surprised. “Well, I don’t know that I’m an expert, Emma.”

“You know more than me.”

“I guess,” Anna said uncertainly. She picked up the flower bouquet that she had been arranging and looked into Emma’s eyes. “But it’s not really that difficult. I just do what the kingdom needs.”

“But what does the kingdom need? How do you know?” Emma pressed, frustrated.

Anna led her over to the door, which was then opened by a footman. Emma and Anna stepped out into the corridor. “I don’t know, Emma. I guess I just do whatever is needed to support the monarch and the realm.”

Emma sighed. “It’s just so hard. I’ve never lived here. They don’t feel like my people to protect.”

Anna gave her a sideways glance that made Emma feel as though she had revealed too much of herself. “It’ll come,” Anna said unhelpfully. “It comes to all princesses. It’s a very important job.”

XXX

“It was so frustrating!” Emma ranted to Killian when they were in bed, much later that day. The sun had set and the moon was full, illuminating their chambers. Emma had a brief thought of whether that moon was the same moon as the one which lit up the nights in the Land Without Magic, but she decided that that wasn’t a track she wanted to go down. “I just needed her to tell me how to be a princess and she just said to support the monarch, support the realm. It’ll come!”

Killian sighed and pulled her closer. “It will come, Emma.”

“When?” she demanded, pulling away. “When will it come? Because I don’t want to have to look at my parents again and see their disappointment that I’m not the perfect princess they wanted. Their new baby will probably be a girl and she’ll be a perfect princess.”

Killian arched a brow at her. “Is that what this is about?”

“No,” Emma said resolutely. “Don’t start, Hook. I’m not jealous that they’re having another baby.”

“Are you sure, lass?”

“I’m jealous that that baby will learn how to be a princess, instead of just being forced into it, and I’m jealous that that baby will get to have my mom and dad as parents instead of just being alone all its life but no, Killian, I am not jealous that they are having another baby. I do not think they are going to forget me.”

“You just called them your mum and dad, love,” Killian said quietly. Emma opened her mouth to protest but closed it again when she realised that he was right. She felt her face flush.

Sighing, she settled back onto Killian’s chest. “Shall we just run away?”

Killian chuckled, the sound reverberating against her back. “You’re going to have to stop suggesting that, love, or one day I’ll take you seriously.”

Emma imagined that one day she would want him to.

XXX


	18. Chapter 18

The mountains of Arendelle were far more beautiful than Emma had ever imagined. The view from the top was entirely worth the long and exhausting walk to the top, especially as Anna and Kristoff were regaling her with stories of her father that were making her laugh. Her parents before they met each other was one of her favourite things to hear about, especially as this was before her father even became a prince.

Sometimes, Emma thought that it would have been nice if her father had stayed a peasant boy and her mother had met him while she was fleeing from Regina and they had just given up on the idea of winning the kingdom back and lived as farm people and had Emma. Their lives would have been totally different. Of course, that would never have happened. Her parents had too much determination, too much of a sense of rightdoing to ever give up on their kingdom.

“This is always my favourite part of visiting other kingdoms,” Anna said with a sigh, digging into their picnic basket. “I love seeing different landscapes and exploring. I’d leave all the political stuff and just do that if I could.”

Emma smiled a bit weakly. It was like Anna could read her mind. She, too, was enjoying this far more than any of the political discussions they had been having since her arrival. She always felt like she was floundering in those, though she felt confident in having negotiated a few deals for the things that her parents had suggested they needed. The main part of this visit, however, was to guarantee an alliance and friendship was Emma’s only real way of knowing how to do that.

But she didn’t have to think about trade or armies or economies for this day that they had designated for friendship only, for climbing Arendelle’s mountains and eating together and getting away from being royals, just for the day.

“Of course,” Kristoff said, sitting down beside his wife, “the potential allies are not usually so nice as you two.” Emma laughed slightly, glancing at Killian who winked at her.

“I suppose that is because you have not been raised to be a snooty royal,” Anna said, a sparkle in her eye. Emma snorted.

“You can say that again.”

“What was it like in the Land Without Magic?” Anna asked eagerly. She poured some water into four mugs and passed them around.

“Oh,” Emma said, eyes widening. She glanced at Killian, who shrugged. She supposed that he hadn’t actually spent very much time in the Land Without Magic. “Well- you know, it was home.”

Anna smiled encouragingly. “Of course,” she said, nodding. “It must have been very hard for you to come here, to leave all you’ve ever known.”

Emma furrowed her brow slightly, training her eyes on the ground. Other than Killian, Anna was the first person to actually acknowledge how difficult this was for her. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, slightly overwhelmed for a moment. She had no idea what to say. Part of her wanted to explode and scream and say that she hated all of this, that she wanted to go back home, that this was not what she signed up for. And another part, the part that saw the way Killian was on the waves, the way Henry loved his princely life, the way the people adored her parents, that part wanted to sigh and give herself up to this life, to start to adjust and be happy here.

She smiled. “It was hard. It’s been an adjustment,” she said diplomatically, ignoring the amused glint in Killian’s eyes.

Anna leaned forward. “Next time you visit, you will have to bring Henry and Liam.”

Emma appreciated the change in subject. She smiled, meeting Killian’s eyes. “Certainly,” he agreed easily. “It is difficult to be away from them.”

“I’m sure,” Anna said sympathetically. “Will you have more children?”

Emma laughed, slightly in surprise. Anna’s questions had the tendency to be personal but Emma thought that it simply meant that they were friends. “We might,” she said, glancing again at her husband, who only winked at her.

“I can just imagine you with a little girl,” Anna enthused. “Your hair and Killian’s eyes.” The image appeared behind Emma’s eyes and her heart did a sort of leap before settling back down into a cozy place. She could have another baby. It would be easier, too. Killian would be at her side and he wanted it too, she knew. They would have help from her parents and friends. And it would be nice for Liam to have a brother or sister to grow up with.

“I can imagine that too,” Emma said quietly, meeting Anna’s eyes. Anna beamed and then dove headfirst into a new topic, making Emma feel slightly whiplashed. She found Kristoff watching his wife fondly and, turning, she saw the same look on Killian’s face towards her.

XXX

“You could be away from your kingdom for so long?” Emma said in shock. Her request had been tentative and ready to be denied, but encouraged by Killian. She had fully expected Elsa to either spend perhaps an hour with her or to refuse altogether, but here she was, suggesting that they go up into the woods of Arendelle for a week and train Emma to use her magic.

Elsa hummed. “Yes, Anna and Kristoff are very able. We can add it to our treaty,” she teased. Emma smiled. The treaty was one of friendship and trade. Emma was sure that her parents would happily allow her to add training in magic as one of the requirements on Elsa’s side. Emma knew that she would give Arendelle much in recompense.

“Emma,” Elsa said, watching her process this idea, “your magic is part of you. When you can control it, you will learn to love it.” Emma looked up blankly. She did not hate her magic, not at all, but she did not love it. “I will teach you and you will learn.”

So, Emma agreed and, that very evening, they headed out into the woods together.

The training was harder than Emma had anticipated. Elsa drilled her like any brutal training master, despite her generally soft demeanour. The first night, she told Emma to make herself a fire if she wanted to get any rest without freezing to death. It had taken hours and hours but Emma had managed it, eventually, after staring at the ground, trying to will it into flames.

Emotions were the key. Where Regina had used hate and anger to fuel her magic, Emma used her love. It was not quite so simple as that but that was the basis of it. Once Emma had learned to summon it, she was away.

Elsa taught her to use her magic to hunt, to cook, to make things grow. She flew through the trees by controlling the way that the air moved beneath her. They duelled all day one day, until blasts of power flew from Emma’s hands as easily as words came from her mouth. She learned, too, to throw objects and to block with them too, during a battle. It was like a crash-training course in how to be a magical warrior princess.

On the last day of their retreat, Emma and Elsa mounted their horses to return. Emma was missing Killian and she was eager to return to him. “Do you ever wish you could just run around doing all of this?” Emma asked the monarch as they trotted out of the woods. Elsa turned curiously to her. Emma extrapolated. “I mean, you spend so much time running the country. Do you never just want to run away?”

Elsa smiled serenely. “Emma, at least once a week, I make sure that I have a whole day to myself. What do you think I do? I don’t sit around in my bedroom. I come here, to the woods, and throw ice at trees and run through the air. But no, I could never run away. Arendelle is my home. Its people are my people. They are my responsibility. One day you will feel the same way about Misthaven.”

Emma sighed. “I really hope so, Elsa.”

“For now, though,” Elsa said, as she spurred her horse into a canter, “you can enjoy yourself.” Emma laughed as Elsa whipped away, her horse driving its hooves faster and faster. Using her mediocre but growing horse skills, Emma sped up to catch up to the queen. Elsa was right. Emma could enjoy herself for as long as she would allow herself to. One day, Elsa would be proven right and she would feel that care and responsibility to Misthaven’s people. But, for now, she was free of that and she could enjoy her life.

XXX

They left Arendelle a few days later. Elsa and Anna escorted them to the docks, their guard surrounding them and citizens of Arendelle behind those. Emma thought that this must be how celebrities felt on the red carpet. She supposed that royals were the equivalent to celebrities in the Enchanted Forest.

“So, we will see you in a year?” Anna said, reaching out to take Emma’s hand. Emma smiled genuinely and nodded, swallowing her sadness at leaving them. It shocked her, nowadays, how quickly she could make friends, when she had spent most of her life alone.

“In a year,” Emma promised, squeezing Anna’s hand back.

“And you’ll bring the children?”

“Liam, definitely, and Henry, if he’s free.”

Anna and Elsa both nodded happily, their smiles reminding Emma that she was leaving somewhere where she was comfortable. At least she had a while before she arrived back in Misthaven and her time on the Jolly Roger was her happiest. “And this one,” Elsa said knowingly, nodding to Emma’s stomach. Emma’s eyes widened and she turned to Hook, who was merrily speaking with Kristoff and didn’t notice.

“Shush,” Emma said half-heartedly. With a few more hugs and goodbyes, Emma retreated away from her new friends, with her husband and their crew. They boarded their ship and watched Elsa and Anna until they were small specks against the horizon.

XXX

They flew from the water as though they were birds, somersaulting in the air, weapons drawn, and then falling back into the ocean with a mighty splash. There were more of them than Emma could count, their fins blue and green and purple, their hair free and flowing. And the ocean around them was murky, as though somebody had spilled oil.

“Mermaid battle,” Killian said grimly from beside her. Emma blinked. The idea that mermaids fought one another was something that had been missing from the Little Mermaid and similar films. Battles, between mermaids, with tridents and short swords.

“The oil,” Emma muttered, “it’s their blood.”

Killian nodded. “Mermaids’ blood is a valuable commodity. Righteous sellers collect it after battles.”

“Less righteous ones just kill them, I presume,” Emma said without expecting an answer. “What do we do?”

Killian sighed. “There isn’t much we can do, love. This is mermaid business.”

“But they’re slaughtering one another.” On a rock, in the distance, Emma could see a blue-tailed, blonde-haired mermaid lying, another one just pulling herself up onto it. She wondered if the first one was dead.

“We’re going to retreat,” Killian said quietly, “before they notice us. Then we’ll come back and see if there’s anything we can do, Swan, but we do not want to be seen as a threat when their blood’s up. Trust me.”

Emma did trust him. His experience was far greater than hers. So they retreated far away, where all they could see was the occasional speck flying from the sea into the sky and then diving back in. “You’ve come across a lot of mermaids?” she asked her husband, distracted.

“Hmm,” Killian agreed. “There’s a mermaid lagoon in Neverland.”

Emma chuckled. “Of course.”

“And Ariel, of course.” Emma listened carefully as he described what had passed between him and Ariel while she had been in New York. Afterwards, she said nothing, only reaching over to squeeze his hand.

A few moments later, she asked, “Where is she now?”

Killian sighed. “I don’t know. Still searching for Eric, I presume.”

“Perhaps we should go and find her. Do the aquatic kingdoms a favour.”

“Lass, there are as many kingdoms below the sea as there are above it, more even. Ariel is princess of Atlantica.”

“Just like in the movie.” Emma thought of that movie and the fact that her child would never see it. She turned to Killian and he raised his brows at her. Just as she opened her mouth, however, there was a call from one of the crew - the battle was over and they could approach.

They collected the blood. Killian said it was far too valuable to waste, despite Emma feeling rather squeamish about collecting blood. And, while the crew did that, Emma asked her husband to take them to the rock, where three mermaids now lay.

There was not much that Emma could do for one of them. She used her magic in the best way that she could, though she had not received much healing training. She wondered if she could travel somewhere in the kingdoms to learn that. A princess who could heal would be a valuable resource to her kingdom.

Even so, she created a sling for a broken arm and she bandaged up a pierced fin. The final one, she cleaned as well as she could and then watched as the other mermaids pushed her softly back into the ocean, with a murmured prayer in a foreign tongue.

By the time all of that was over, Killian’s crew were finished and they returned to collect her. “Thank you, maid,” the blonde mermaid said, nodding her head at her and patting her slinged arm.

Emma half-smiled. “You’re welcome.”

She returned to the ship. Killian greeted her with a kiss and they went below, leaving the crew to run the ship and steer them towards home. They still had a week’s journey remaining.

Emma sat herself down on Killian’s bed, knees tucked up to her chin. He sat beside her, legs not quite on the bed. “You might not care much about Misthaven,” Killian commented softly, “but you care deeply for others, love.”

“I’m not sure that’s enough for my parents, for my people.”

Killian’s lips quirked. “Your people,” he repeated.

Emma flushed. “You know-”

“I know,” he said, leaning down and kissing her. “What were you going to say earlier, love, before we were interrupted?”

Emma smiled and lowered her legs so that she could pull Killian’s hand down to rest on her stomach. “We’re going to have another one to add to our people,” she said with her tongue between her teeth. Killian’s face transformed into utter joy, making Emma’s heart leap.

“Another babe?” he asked in awe.

“Mmhmm. Hopefully a girl to balance things out around here.”

Killian chuckled, moving closer and kissing her. “A girl sounds wonderful.”


	19. Chapter 19

Emma regarded the castle impassively, hoping for a rush of warmth or affection and feeling none. The moon shone brightly above it, illuminating the large lake and white walls. What damage there had been when they arrived in Misthaven had been fixed with all the time that Emma had been away and the castle was picture perfect, like it had been in Henry’s book.

With a sigh and a glance at her husband - finding him watching her with beady eyes - Emma encouraged her horse to ride on. Though she held no true affection for the castle in which she had been born, at least one of her sons was certainly inside, with her parents. The sound of a second set of hooves followed her.

They were greeted at the gate and allowed to pass through swiftly. Emma ignored the interested looks that the guards gave them, though especially Killian. A pirate who married a princess, an eternal curiosity and beacon of hope to the poor and downtrodden. This discovery, of Killian’s renown and the good feeling that was growing within the people towards him, had been very recent, during the short few days that they had ridden from the coast to the castle, leaving the Jolly in solid hands with their crew.

The doors swung open the very moment they dismounted their horses and stablehands rushed from the sides to take them away to be brushed and cleaned. Emma sighed at the sight of her parents. It was past midnight and neither of them were generally night owls.

“Have you had birds spying on us?” Emma asked, more weary than irritated.

Snow smiled. “I only wanted to know how long until you would be home, so that we could see you straight away.” Emma smiled. “We sent the nursemaid to get Liam. They’ll be here in a moment. How was your trip?”

“Good,” Emma replied. “We can update you properly in the morning. We’ve been riding all day.” Snow nodded, understanding in her eyes. Emma’s father greeted her with a kiss to her head and Emma leaned into his simple and soothing embrace.

The sound of footsteps made Emma pull away. Glancing at Killian behind her and sharing a grin, a sudden burst of energy filled her. She dashed across the hallway, hearing the doors finally close away the night, and took her son into her arms, pressing her face into his hair and running her hands soothingly across his back. He was bigger, so much bigger that tears pricked Emma’s eyes. She felt Killian’s arms enclose them both and she sighed into him, pressing her cheek against the bone of his shoulder.

“We’ll let you sleep,” David said quietly. “Your chambers are ready for you. There’s some food in there if you are hungry. We’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” Emma’s only response was a nod and then she heard them leave.

“Let’s go to bed, love,” Killian murmured. Emma nodded, feeling a yawn approaching. “I’ll just get the trunk.”

Emma leaned her forehead against the cold stone wall, her arms protesting at holding Liam. He really was heavier. “What do you think about a new baby sibling?” she cooed. Liam cocked his head and Emma smiled at him, brushing an eyelash off his cheek. “I’m so sorry we were gone so long, baby. We’re here now and we’re not going anywhere.”

“I kind of assumed that.”

Emma spun around, clutching Liam to her chest with one hand and the other going for the cutlass at her waist, eyes wide. She had pulled the cutlass from its slot on her belt and had it pointed between the eyes of the speaker when she realised that it was Neal, approaching in the dark, and not an enemy or danger. Breathing rapidly, she sheathed her cutlass and let out a huff.

“What the hell, Neal?” she demanded in whisper tones. Her panic was clearing. “What are you even doing here?”

Neal gave her a half-smile. “I came to see you, of course.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. “Why the hell- It’s late, Neal. Can we do whatever this is tomorrow?”

Neal shook his head. “No, I want this to be over with and clear.”

“There is nothing between us to be over with, Neal. This was all over a long time ago.”

Neal sighed. “I know that. I just assumed you would get bored of this, of Hook. I assumed he’d fuck up.”

“Please don’t swear in front of Liam,” Emma said quietly and appreciated the apologetic look on Neal’s face. “I told you when we came back to Storybrooke that I was going to be with Killian. We’re married now and we have Liam and-” Emma cut herself off before she could reveal the baby growing inside of her. She shook her head. “I’m not bored of Killian and I’m never going to be bored of Killian. I’m in love with him.”

Emma felt something akin to relief as Neal’s face turned to sadness rather than anger. “The thing is, Emma, I’m never going to be over you.” Emma closed her eyes, turning her face away. “So, I’ll be here, waiting, if you ever change your mind.”

And with that he strode away. “I won’t,” Emma called after him, gritting her teeth at his presumption. Finally, the doors swung open and Killian stepped in with their trunk.

“Did I hear voices?” he asked, his breath slightly caught. Emma groaned.

“I’ll tell you when we’re in bed.” Killian smiled and nodded at the door for her to open, leading to their bedchamber.

XXX

A week later, Emma and Killian were moving into their very own palace, half incredulous and half exasperated by the sheer size of the Summer Palace. Though smaller than her parents’ permanent palace, the home that Snow’s parents had kept as a holiday home had twenty bedrooms and a ballroom the size of Storybrooke Park. They’d chosen to occupy this palace, rather than any of the other smaller homes that her parents’ three kingdoms (her grandfather Leopold’s, her grandmother Ava’s and Midas’) allowed them, because it was the closest to the coast. In fact, it was hardly a ten minutes’ ride on horseback to reach where they had docked the Jolly Roger, having sailed along the coast to reach their new home. A day’s ride, their journey on the Jolly had been hardly an hour.

The entrance hall was picturesque, it had to be said. The whole palace was built with a greyish-white stone that made it look like a cloud. Emma found her eyes drawn to the painting on the left wall, occupying almost all of the centre of it. The woman was almost a picture of her mother, though with a slimmer face and different eyes, green eyes, Emma’s eyes. The man was taller than the woman who Emma identified as Ava, her grandmother. Leopold was stately, though balding and with a weak chin. The picture showed him to be a king, though he wore no crown. It was the posture her father held, too.

“Which room shall we choose, love?” Killian’s voice interrupted her. She turned to find him, leaning on the post at the end of the grand staircase. 

“For what?” Emma asked absent-mindedly, her eyes drifting back to the picture. Killian tutted and approached her, placing his hook on her cheek. The cold metal drew her back fully into the present. She smiled.

“I was asking which room you would like to fuck most often in, love,” he asked. Emma pursed her lips to unsuccessfully hide her smile. 

“It’s our palace; we can fuck in whichever room we like,” Emma said with a grin. Killian dragged the flat edge of his hook along her cheekbone and Emma’s stomach fluttered in response.

“Come and look at these chambers, Swan. I think we should have these.”

By the time Emma and her husband reached the chambers that Killian had selected, Emma was panting. “We can’t have these, Killian. We have literally climbed all the stairs.”

“Look, look, though, Swan,” he said, dragging her into the room, its door open already. The room was big and the bed looked exceptionally comfortable. There was even a room adjoining with a bath big enough for two. Emma glanced back at the stairs she had climbed and was still recovering from. Perhaps it was time to consider building up some leg muscle.

Smiling, she followed Killian over to the window, where he pointed out at the distance. There, of course, was the ocean. She held out her hand for Killian’s telescope and, lo and behold, when she looked through it, she saw the Jolly. With a sigh, Emma said, “When I’m five months pregnant until five months after I’ve given birth, we are using a different room, but, otherwise, yes, we can have these.”

“Agreed,” Killian said, his smirk wide as he leaned over to cup her cheek and bring their lips together.

“Where’s Liam?” Emma asked as Killian brought his hook to the top of her skirts. “And do not dare rip this. All my clothes are five floors away.”

Killian rolled his eyes and moved his hand to the lacing on her skirt instead. He worked at it as he said, “The nursemaid took him to the nursery to have a nap.” Emma hummed appreciatively. If ever it was good that Liam did not enjoy ship journeys, it was now.

“Okay then, captain,” Emma said with a grin, finishing his work on her skirts and stepping out of them. In only her corset and underwear, Emma walked backwards to the bed, grinning as Killian hurried over to meet her.

XXX

Her parents barely left it a week before they came for a visit. A day’s ride was nothing, really, in the Enchanted Forest, as Snow had cheerily informed Emma when they were packing her meagre things to move. Emma had not imagined that they would take advantage of the short distance quite so soon.

“And, besides,” Snow said as she strode through the entrance hall upon arrival, “We’ve not been here since our honeymoon.” Killian wrinkled his nose, which made Emma snort. “How are you finding being here? Isn’t the location lovely?”

“It is,” Emma said, turning left into the dining hall, where the cook and servants had laid a luncheon. The final maid curtseyed on her way out. “Still not used to that,” Emma muttered to Killian as they took their seats at one end of the table, where all four places were set. Emma refused to use the whole table, when it put them all so far apart, though she was aware it was not traditional in Misthaven.

“Have you been to the beach yet?”

“Of course,” Emma said, picking up her wine glass and sipping at it. The wine in Misthaven - especially the expensive stuff that princesses could afford - was almost worth the relocation.

“Are you already drinking?” her mother asked and Emma almost felt like she was in a movie. That was what all the judgemental moms said when their daughters drank at lunchtime.

“I’m a princess,” Emma reminded her. “I can do whatever I want.” Killian smirked. “And, yes, we did go to the beach, on our first day here. Liam loved it.”

Snow smiled widely. “Where is he?”

“Asleep. We went sailing yesterday and it tuckered him out.”

“You went sailing?” her father said, his tone impressed. “On the Jolly Roger? Did Hook let you sail, Emma?”

Emma scowled at her husband who was smirking. “We did not go on the Jolly. We went on a little sailboat.”

“And you nearly crashed it,” Killian reminded her, pointing his hook at her accusingly. Emma quirked an eyebrow. “Imagine if that had been the Jolly. I want our marriage to last, Swan.”

“Are you saying you’d leave me if I crashed the Jolly?” Emma asked him, amused.

Killian glanced around himself. “Perhaps I’d just move chambers.”

Emma snorted. “Now I know you’re joking.” She turned to her parents. “Our chambers are on the fifth floor. You can see the ocean from them and, if we use the telescope, you can see the Jolly.” Her father raised his brows, impressed. Emma glanced down at her lap and then at Killian who smiled at her encouragingly. “We wanted to tell you something actually.”

Her mother’s eyes were bright. Emma was sure she suspected what Emma was going to say. “I’m pregnant.” Snow’s smile widened.

“How wonderful,” she declared. Emma smiled as Killian picked up her hand to kiss it. “I hope you have a girl this time, Emma.”

“Me too,” Emma confessed, feeling flushed. “We’ve decided to go on another adventure before we have the baby, though, to really appreciate this time with Liam.”

Her parents’ smiles dropped. “You’re leaving? Again?” her mother said. Emma swallowed and nodded.

“Not far,” she said earnestly. “We’re staying in the kingdom. We’re going to see Henry at the navy academy.”

Her parents shared a look. “I suppose that wouldn’t be the worst thing,” her father said slowly. “At least the people would see you that way.”

Emma sighed. “I’m not going so that the people can see me. I’m going to see my son. I understand why you want them to see me, but there must be better ways for me to help the kingdom than walking around in frocks and attending dances. I helped plenty of people in Storybrooke while wearing a leather jacket and being pretty socially non-existent.”

“It’s not like that here, Emma. We have sheriffs here who deal with the crime. You’re a princess, now, and you haven’t given up your leather yet.” Her mother’s eyes dropped to her leather vest and breeches. Emma pursed her lips. She had been waiting for that comment from the moment her parents entered.

Her father cleared his throat. “I know that this is difficult for you, Emma, but your role is more political now. Yes, we want you to attend balls and wear the right things, but only so that we can appease the nobles and create alliances. We want you to be on our council, too, and help us make laws and decide what’s right for the country.” Though that was more what Emma preferred, it still sounded deathly boring.

Emma sighed, giving up the fight for now. “I’m sorry. I know you want what’s best for me and for the kingdom. It’ll be nice when Leo and the new baby grow up to take the load off,” Emma said, nodding at her mother’s overflowing stomach. Snow smiled. “But I will wear leather for as long as I am in my own house - palace, whatever. If there’s no one outside our family here, I am not wearing any stupid ballgowns.”

Killian smirked at her with a quirked brow and Emma tried to hide her smile.

XXX

By the time her parents left, Emma did have a clearer idea of what they wanted her to do. Though much of it was disagreeable to her, Emma could see the benefits of her spending time with nobles and going to figuratively cut some ribbons. And she was very happy to be on the council, the more she considered it. The laws that she created would be enforced by others but it was a somewhat similar job as the one she had had in Storybrooke.

She had continued arguing with her mother through the week, though, about this and that. It had felt like she was in the movie Brave, where the queen hounded Merida to become more of the ideal version of a princess. But, as Emma reminded her mother, she was hardly the ideal picture of a princess, either. She’d spent years as a bandit, with her bow and arrow, and Emma knew that she had not been wearing dresses while she did that, at least so far as Henry’s book conveyed. But Emma did think it was pretty normal to fight with your mom, so she didn’t entirely mind it. And it made her feel like she was getting to know her better.

And she was getting to know her father even better, as he regularly came to comfort her after she had fought with her mother. He had even had a sword custom made for her, which he said suited a princess much better than a pirate’s cutlass. It had nearly caused Emma to argue with him, until she saw the amused twinkle in his eyes.

So, all in all, it had been an enjoyable week, if fraught with tension. Killian had found it all quite amusing, especially when she had caved to her mother’s wishes on one evening and worn a dress rather than her customary breeches and vest. He had found the ease of pushing her skirts up around her waist and ripping her knickers off with his hook even more amusing.

Emma was missing the first council meeting that she had been invited to, in order to visit Henry, which she did not mind whatsoever, as her father had told her that it was going to be about grain taxing, which Emma did not know anything about and neither did she care about it one jot. Going to the navy camp was far more exciting.

Especially because her father had convinced Killian to wear a navy uniform to go to the camp. His opinion was - and Emma agreed wholeheartedly - that the navy would accept Killian as the princess’ consort more readily if they knew that he was also a navyman. And, perhaps, Emma’s agreement of this had more to do with how excellent he looked in his naval uniform.

The night before, Emma had forced him to wear it and not take it off while he fucked her. She imagined that her father had not had this in mind whatsoever when he suggested Killian’s uniform.

They finally arrived at the navy academy a few days after leaving their palace. They had ridden rather than take the Jolly, as Emma’s sickness had shown itself for the first time while her parents had been visiting, so she didn’t want to risk exacerbating it with a boat journey, though it delayed them. Liam travelled in front of Emma, with straps attached to her front, and he had seemed to enjoy it for the most part, looking around himself all day and giggling when they galloped.

The naval recruits all lined up as Emma and Killian arrived, in a dress and uniform respectively. Even Liam was wearing the poshest clothing Emma could find to put him in. The officers stood ramrod straight, their eyes barely moving as Emma and Killian rode past them and dismounted at the entrance to the main building, where three men who Killian identified as high up within the navy awaited them. Emma had never felt less suited to being a princess as she did with all of those eyes on her.

And, then, the men bowed to her as she stood before them, brushing down her skirts. Killian took her hand to make her stop and she let out a breath, picking up her son.

“Your highness, it is an honour,” the central man said with a second bow. Emma smiled as pleasantly as she possibly could.

“Thank you, Captain,” she said, glad she had had Killian instruct her on what was what with regards to speaking with navy officers. “This is not a state visit, but simply a visit to my son.”

“Of course, your highness. Even so, you are most welcome to tour our premises if you so wish.”

Emma’s lips twitched and she turned to find Killian’s eyes eager and wide. With a smile, she said, “My husband, Captain Jones, would be very grateful for that, Captain, and I will endeavour to keep up, though I must admit that I do not know much about ships or the navy.”

The captain chuckled and then turned to Killian, extending his hand with something akin to disgust. Killian ignored it, shaking his head. “Captain Hoo- Jones, an honour to meet you,” the captain said stiffly.

“Captain Egbert, is it not?” Killian said, inclining his head. 

“It is, Captain.” Emma took Killian’s hand.

“Would we be able to be taken to our lodgings, Captain? It’s been a long journey and I would appreciate a rest and to see my son.”

The Captain gave half a bow. “Certainly, your highness. I will send His Highness Seaman Mills up to your chambers immediately.”

XXX

Hugging Henry was the greatest comfort Emma could have received after forcing herself into the role of princess. “You were great, Swan,” Killian said from his position, lying on the bed with Liam giggling away on his chest, his pudgy hand wrapped around the curve of her husband’s hook. Emma smiled at the sight, only half-releasing Henry so that she still had her arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“You look very regal,” Henry said, nodding at her blue dress. Emma tutted.

“Yes, you can blame your grandmother for that, and for Killian’s uniform, too, which did not win over Captain Egbert.”

Henry grimaced. “Captain Egbert is very vocal about his dislike for you, Killian.”

“Of course,” Killian said with an easy smile. “No naval officer would like a pirate and to see one married to the only princess would only be a further kick in the teeth. But I don’t mind wearing the uniform. I was a navy man once.” Emma raked her eyes over him again in that uniform. “So, are you enjoying the navy, lad?”

Emma stole Liam from Killian as he sat up and she set herself in the bay window overlooking the ocean and her kingdom’s fleet. She listened with half an ear as Killian and Henry excitedly discussed the navy and then as Killian quizzed Henry on certain naval things. With a smile, Emma bent to whisper to her younger son, “You can never join the navy, okay, Liam?”

He only grinned and poked her cheek. Emma grinned.

XXX

Henry wanted to take Liam for the day and spend some time with his brother - prompted, Emma knew without a doubt, by Killian’s desire to take Emma to somewhere he visited once.

When they arrived, Emma did not begrudge herself the day with her sons. They had had to trek downhill for about half an hour and Emma was already dreading the walk back up, but, then, she was distracted by the wonder of the waterfall and pool that it fed into, hiding just around the corner. 

The cliff to either side of the waterfall was dotted with orange and white flowers, contrasting the bright, almost turquoise blue of the waters. “It’s warm, too,” Killian’s growl said in her ear, his arm wrapping around her waist. “There are hot springs nearby that heat it.”

“Hmm, sounds delightful,” she said, leaning back into his embrace. Killian pressed a kiss beneath her ear.

“How are you feeling?” he murmured. Emma smiled.

“Wonderful,” she sighed, though she knew he was asking because of her bad morning sickness. “I’m wonderful.” He spun her away softly and she appreciated the sight of his naval uniform again. “I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve brought a girl here, pirate,” Emma said, toying coyly with the lacing of her skirts.

“I did bring a few lasses here after I discovered it, when I was just learning to be a pirate.”

“Hmm,” Emma said, stepping out of her skirt. Killian’s eyes followed her bare legs and Emma’s skin flushed with anticipation. “I’d say it was more than a few.”

“Perhaps it was many.” Killian’s eyes were dark as she released the laces on her corset and stepped out of her underwear. He approached slowly and pulled her hair from its braid. Emma grinned.

“As much as I love that uniform, I want my pirate and I prefer him with no clothes.” Killian smirked. She leaned in so that her mouth was by his ear. “Hurry up,” she murmured before pushing him away and running off and diving into the pool. Seconds later, she shrieked as Killian joined her, making a huge splash, and then any sounds were muffled by the feel of his mouth on hers.


End file.
